Something New
by Yorkes
Summary: Kol Mikaelson is about to be deported, and his assistant Davina Claire seems to be the simple solution.
1. Chapter 1

Davina Claire got to the office that day with barely a minute to spare. She was sure she looked like something the cat dragged in, with only a minute or two to dab on some makeup and throw on her clothes, but it was a Monday and she decided she could just chalk it up to laziness after a weekend.

But Davina was many things, and lazy was not one of them, so perhaps she would have to come up with a better reason for wearing the dress she had worn the previous Friday.

"You know, you do not look as awful as you warned me," she heard as she walked by her friend Josh's desk. She had sent him an angry text on her way to work on the failings of technology, namely the alarm clock, but he was quick to remind her that she was constantly attached to her phone. She couldn't argue that one, since she was a mere assistant and she was already a workaholic. She didn't dare think what her mindset would be like with a real job.

Josh gave her a smile and held a cup of coffee, "would some caffeine help?"

"It won't get rid of the wrinkles in my dress, but I will not deny it," she told him, grabbing it from him. Josh had starting working around the time Davina had a few years, though he worked in market research and Davina was the assistant to the Chief Editor.

"And I know you have to go but when you get the chance I'll tell you about my date this weekend," he told her, and Davina's eyes light up. From the tone of his voice she could tell it had gone well. She felt a bit guilty that in the chaos of her late start she had forgotten, but she wasn't going to dwell on the fact. After months of will they, won't they, Josh had finally on a date with a friend of his named Aidan.

"You better," she told him, giving him a serious look. She glanced at the clock realizing she should make her way to her desk, so she gave Josh a quick smile and walked on over.

She got right to work on checking her emails because she had lost a good twenty minutes with her late start. Bright and early weren't exactly words to describe her, but she liked to give herself buffer time in between her arrival and her boss'. He was always about ten minutes late and always in a new mood, which meant that she needed to knock out the easy stuff before he arrived.

After a few minutes it was ten past seven, and in walked in Kol Mikaelson. Davina looked up cautiously when she heard the room fall to more of hush, but she couldn't tell what type of mood he was in today. Monday usually wasn't too great, but you never knew. Before he started at the publishing company, a position he gained almost exclusively because of his family's ownership of it, he was wild. Like his parents probably wanted the role as Chief Editor had straightened him out a bit, but he was still unpredictable.

"Coffee," he said, posed as a statement rather than a question when he stopped by Davina's desk, eyes trained on his phone. She hoped the panic didn't read on her face as she remembered she had cut the coffee run out of her morning routine. She glanced toward the barely drunken coffee on her desk, and made the realization that she had forgotten lipstick that morning.

She quickly ran the sleeve of her dress against the lid and handed it him, thankful that he wasn't paying attention as she handed it to him. So much for a morning boost of caffeine; she had barely gotten a sip. It was better than risking one of Kol's outbursts though, so she decided it was one battle she was okay losing.

He looked up to see the coffee lifted up, and he gave her a small nod before moving on to his office. Davina was quick to give Josh a look of gratitude for the coffee that morning, even if it had been intended for her. Her friend was watching with an equal amount of amusement and fear. So she mouthed, "thank you" and he just shook his head, getting back to his work.

Then she went back to checking her email, which also meant checking the email that Kol gave out to people when he didn't really want to bother with them. She forwarded a reminder from his brother Finn to his main account, with the words 'birthday' and 'mother' standing out. She found it funny that Finn was the only one who didn't have his real email, but she knew the Mikaelson's were an interesting family. Interesting could be exchanged with wealthy and well known, maybe even famous, but the name Mikaelson was explanation enough.

The patriarch of the family, Mikael, was just as prominent as the matriarch, Esther. He had inherited businesses, she had inherited money, and their business deal of a marriage had resulted in a global corporation with several branches. With their five kids they didn't have to worry about anyone inheriting the family business, but everyone in the business world (or anyone who was interested in the lives of the elite) knew that the family was hostile at it's core, due mostly to Mikael. Money, power, and glory are things that could get to anyone, but know one knew exactly why in family gathering they wore masks of sincerity.

Not that Davina was about to ask.

* * *

"Mr. Mikaelson, there are some men downstairs who are looking for you," Davina said, poking her head into his office. An employee of nearly five years had just walked out of the room with puffy eyes and immediately began clearing his desk. She guessed it was time for cuts again, though it seemed like it was always time for cuts. Kol wasn't the worst boss in some ways, he could take a joke (though few made any) and was surprisingly good at his job, but your job was never certain with him. That was what made him so terrifying in the eyes of everyone in the office, and not unjustly so. Kol was looking at his computer, maybe looking through the emails she had forwarded him, when she had informed him of the news.

"Well who is it?" He asked, somewhat impatiently. "There weren't any meeting lined up for the next few hours," he reminded her, as if she didn't already know.

"They are two immigration officers," she told him, and his annoyance immediately turned into something else entirely. Davina had seen a vast array of his moods and attitudes over the years, but never had she see seen genuine concern.

When his father asked him to take over the publishing company Kol countered. For all of Kol's love for independence he knew there was a time when he would have to take a breather. He wasn't an idiot, and he knew he couldn't travel the world for the rest of his life if he expected a share of the family wealth. So he suggested that he become a Chief Editor instead, take on a big role in a branch of the company rather than adopt the entire thing as his own. Mikael agreed to it since Kol wasn't even thirty at the time.

That was the story of why he got his work visa and moved to New York. He didn't actually expect it to work out, and why would he want to become a citizen for a job he barely cared about. So he shoved thoughts of visas and immigration into the back of his mind as he begun his job, and much to his surprise he actually enjoyed his job. He would never admit it to Mikael, because a win for his father meant giving him a power over him, so he kept their conversations short.

"Do you want me to send them up?" his assistant asked, voice suddenly very timid, and he nodded without saying a word. She went back to her desk and called down to who he presumed to the reception, where the result of his inability to think long term were about to come up. He knew exactly what was in store for him, because the timing was just about right.

For a moment he thought about what his parents would say. It was his mother's birthday that Thursday, and he was planning on getting there the night before. If things worked out the way he imagined they would he figured he might get there earlier, that might be a nice surprise. At least before they realized why he was really there.

After that moment he scolded himself for the self pitying and began to think of ways around it. He was Kol Mikaelson, and both his first and last name meant something. He was Kol who once went off the grid in Africa for two weeks, and though he didn't love the idea of using it as leverage he was of the Mikaelson who had friends in high places. He was pretty sure he had about a minute to figure out what his loophole would be, and when his eyes wandered to the desk outside his door, namely the woman seated in front of it, he paused and changed his train of thought.

His simple solution was right in front of him.

* * *

Kol had glass walls, which meant that the entire office got a view of what was happening. No one had heard Davina say the two men in black suits were immigration officers so the hushed theories floating around the room varied. Davina overheard one woman say something about the mob, and though that seemed like an interesting concept, she was trying to focus on the reality.

She looked out of the corner of her eye at the scene that was unfolding, because she figured staring blatantly at the possible deportation of your boss wasn't the best idea. If she did all she would be missing would be popcorn, she did have one of the best seats in the house. Everyone else seemed to have the same idea, because the rest of the office had their eyes fixed on their screens, though she doubted they were getting much work done. Davina had just finished up her emails and was about to go make some copies, but she could hardly leave then. The tension in the building could have been with a knife.

She couldn't read lips, but she could read expressions as well as the next person, and what she saw felt conflictive. The men looked professional and serious, which was expected. Kol though, he had gone from frightened to calm in the course of sixty seconds. At the moment it was only the immigration officers who were speaking, but Kol looked too relaxed hearing what was probably like a death sentence.

Even with his father owning the corporation as a whole, it was unlikely the strings could get pulled for Kol to work from England. As Chief Editor he needed to be on location, not on a skype call, and she didn't even know if the company could allow high level foreign workers. And as much as Kol downplayed his job, she could tell his enjoyed it. That relaxed face had to be crushed on the inside, unless he was somehow pulling strings.

When Kol started talking she wished she could read lips, because whatever he was saying he was able to deliver with complete ease. After a much too short response the officers looked over to Davina. Then Kol started moving to the door.

She double checked in her mind that she was truly American. Last she checked Louisiana was in the United States, but that did not do much to calm her churning mind.

"Davina, can you come in?" He said, and she nodded, though the gentle tone he used didn't escape her. That and the way the officers were looking at her made her seriously rethink her origins.

When she got to door Kol grabbed her hand and pulled her inside. She wasn't exactly sure what to do, actually. She tried to focus on the fact she was being pulled in front of immigration officers rather than practically holding hands with her boss, but it was hard to make sense of what was happening.

Kol aligned Davina next to him, keeping his grip tight on her hand. The grip didn't feel like it was done for support though, it felt intentional.

"As I was saying," Kol started, pausing to smile at Davina, "I can't be deported because I'm engaged."

Davina's body instantly stiffened, but the look one of the men was giving them made her want to try and relax. He was looking at Kol and her like they were guiltiest people alive. The other one had an eyebrow raised, with an inquisitive look.

"Davina is my fiancée," he finally informed the immigration officers, giving her hand a prompting squeeze. She instinctively smiled at them, glancing over at Kol for a sign of what the hell was going on. When their eyes met he looked away though, but if she was being honest with herself Davina knew exactly what the hell was going on.

"Is that right?" one of the men asked, obviously directing the question toward Davina. At the moment though she wasn't sure exactly how she could respond, so she was happy Kol butted in.

"We've kept our relationship a secret for business reasons, but we were planning on telling my my family about the engagement this week when we visited them," he informed them. He went on to say something else, but she had tuned him out, because this was when Davina began to think.

What Kol was trying to pull was illegal, and he had dragged her into it without her knowledge. Granted, she didn't think he had much time to think of a solution, but that didn't excuse what he had done. Because in the next few moments, when Davina decided to speak, she could either confirm or deny what he had told them. The obvious thing would be to say he was making it up, and then Davina would be free of a tangled web she saw in the near future. There were possible perks though, if she could find a way to make a deal. She had been stuck in the assistant rut for years, and this was an opportunity to break free of that. Perhaps she would get a job offer in a totally unconventional and manipulative way, and she would feel guilty about it for about five seconds before she basked in the pay raise and new powers as an Editor. There was also the matter of what would happen if she said no. She would be fired with Kol's deportation, and would probably never be hired by a Mikaelson company again.

"And what does your fiancé have to say about all of this," the officer said, cutting Kol off in the middle of a sentence. She could tell he was trying to keep the conversation going so Davina couldn't get a word in, but neither of them could avoid it once she was singled out.

"I just hope everything works out so we can be together," she told them, a small smile plastered on her lips. She just hoped it didn't sound like she was lying through her teeth.

* * *

**a/n - So there's the first chapter of my very first multi-chapter Kolvina fic! I know it was a bit short but I hope you liked it anyways. If you could not already tell this story will be loosely in some ways, and not so loosely in others, based off of The Proposal. I had to switch some things around so it fit Kol and Davina better, but I'm really excited about writing it. I'm usually not a planner when it comes to ms fics, but I've found myself thinking ahead to later chapters about scenes I'll be getting to write.**

**So be sure to let me know what you think, and if you want to check out my tumblr's meaghanraths or kolvinakisses. I'll probably be updating sometime in the next week.**

**xo,**

**Luce**


	2. Chapter 2

In truth Davina wasn't really a brunch person, she never understood the appeal, but Kol had told her it would be the perfect place to discuss the situation that she had been pulled into. She wasn't sure where people usually discussed this sort of things, given that it was actually illegal, but she figured a restaurant that was a bit of a hole in the wall felt fitting enough. Though the idea of a restaurant catering to breakfast and brunch also being a hole in the wall was a bit worrying.

It was better than the office at least.

When the less than convinced immigration officers finally left they were faced with realizing they had just put on a show for the office. She wasn't sure how uncomfortable the situation was for Kol, but for Davina it was less than stellar. She was quick to untangle her hand from his when she noticed the looks she was getting, she just made sure the officers were out of sight at that moment.

"You know you aren't that good of an actress," Kol informed Davina, glancing up from the menu.

"I wasn't exactly given time to memorize my lines," she retorted, not daring to look up from hers. The recent situation gave her leverage over Kol, which allowed her use her right to free speech for the first time with him, but it was still weird to her. She hadn't had many real conversations with him, even after four years of working with him nearly every day. Though after a few moments passed she peeked up, seeing that there was a slight small evident on his face, though calling it a smirk would be more fitting.

"About that," he started, taking on more a serious tone, "I think we should start discussing the matter at hand." This was when Davina finally decided to look him in the eye. "I'm going to assume that you figured out the situation is at the moment," he said, though there was question embedded in his statement. in which she gave him a brief nod in reply.

She had guessed the basic situation at hand, but when the immigration officers started starting to her she was able to piece together more of the story. After she had announced that was she was in fact engaged to the soon to be deported Mikaelson they gave her a little information on what would be happening. There would be an investigation of their relationship, and there would be interviews. One of the men kept slipping in how green card marriages were illegal, which didn't seem promising to either of them.

"Before we get to anything about following through with this, I need to discuss my terms," she told him, and she quickly raked through her recent thoughts to remember them. On the ride over to the restaurant she had made a mental list.

"I can give you money," he offered, but she shook her head.

"I want to be an editor," she told him, and he raised a brow. "It's not my goal to be an assistant forever," she added.

"You do realize how that would look right, an assistant getting a lofty promotion only once she has married her boss," he replied, though she wasn't sure that was a rejection.

"I would be an assistant who married her wealthy boss anyway," she reminded him, "I don't think I'll have much shame to lose after that." She gave him a smile that could only be described as filled with venom, and though it was quick it made an impression.

"It wouldn't look great for me either, giving that position so easily," he muttered, and it was her turn to look at him with some disbelief.

"I'm helping you stay in the country, sorry if my limited terms will affect your pride," she said, and the venom had moved into her words. "That's the one term I won't be lenient on," she admitted, which prompted Kol to take a sharp intake.

After a brief hesitation he shrugged, "Fine. What else do you want if you don't want money?"

"I want you to look at a manuscript, I'm not asking you to publish it but I am asking you to give it a long look," she said, and she didn't think this would be a demand to hard to meet. Manuscripts could be submitted anytime, but the problem was that few got out of the ever growing stack. Never less she made

"You're a writer?" he asked.

"My friend is, and if he wants it be considered for publication than I want to be," she explained. She was speaking about Josh, who admitted to most only that he dabbled in writing. In truth it was more than a hobby, it was what he really wanted to do with his life, and his most recent story was really something.

"I can do that," he told her, and he didn't seem fazed by it. Shortly after that the waiter came over, and they after they placed their orders they fell into a short silence again. "And even if you won't accept my money, I won't let you pay for things like expensive dresses that you wouldn't wear again," he added, which confused Davina.

"If you're talking about a wedding we can just go to the courthouse," she offered, but he shook his head.

"Well I wasn't actually referring to the wedding costs there, more just general events I have to go to, but while we're on the topic... Well a courthouse won't do. I'm a Mikaelson, that was be suspicious and we don't need that," he explained, and she got where he was coming from. She didn't like the idea of wasting money and effort on a marriage that would end in a year. "Obviously there isn't much time for planning but we could do a small gathering, just family really..." he trailed off, thinking for a moment, "but it needs to look like there was some effort put into it."

He stood firm on that. His sister had gotten married to Stefan Salvatore with the wedding of the decade, if not the century. Not was practically a week long affair, and the guest list, while exclusive, was at least mile long. Rebekah was always a hopeless romantic, and she married rather young, but she sure did set the standard for the rest of the family.

The eldest brother, Finn, was already married to his long time girlfriend Sage, but another of his siblings Klaus was engaged soon after to Caroline Forbes, a journalist who wanted the big white wedding too. It didn't compare to Rebekah's, the guest list a little more reserved and they kept it under wraps, but it no expenses were spared. Their family matriarch made sure of it.

Kol wasn't sure how much his family would expect him to have a proper wedding, but he was sure he could rely on their shock on the mere possibility of marriage as a deterrent for wondering. Eloping has a certain appeal, but he figured putting some effort in would kill two birds with one stone. The birds being the suspicion of both his family and the people trying to deport him.

"It doesn't have to be grand," he assured her, "just up to par with my siblings." Davina gave him a disbelieving look, but did she agreed with him in general. Just not that the wedding had to be quite like his family's more recent nuptials.

"I've heard about your siblings wedding," she reminded him, she was his assistant after all, "and if you want to be up to par it would have to be grand."

"If it's quickly thrown together it won't have to be too elaborate."

"Well how quickly were you thinking?" Davina asked. The immigration had told them Kol had less than three weeks before he would be deported, so it didn't leave much wiggle room.

"Maybe when we get back from the trip to England," He offered up, and he looked to her for a confirmation. "Once we announce the engagement to my family, tell them we want to get married as soon as possible," he shrugged, "we could book a location last minute or something."

"You seriously think we could get a location on that short notice?" she asked him, more mocking than inquisitive. Kol opened his mouth to say something, but Davina cut him off. "I forgot, you're a Mikaelson," she said, shaking her head. "Silly me," she muttered, taking a sip of her drink.

His signature smirk was back, and she found herself realizing how confident in himself he was. It was a 180 from when she told him the immigration officers were there to him, but then again now he had a loophole. She wanted to say something about how people like to make examples out of the rich and powerful, but then she registered the comment he had made about England.

"Wait, you were serious about me going to visit your family with you?" she questioned, because he had said something about to the officers but she didn't think too much of it. Her mind wasn't the clearest at the time.

He nodded, as if it was obvious. In hindsight it probably was.

"Oh… isn't it your mother's birthday though? I wouldn't want to be a party crasher," she protested, but that got no reaction from the man across from her. "And I have work, I'm the one who was going to do some of the work while you were gone," she reminded him, "and that would be four days, three _weekdays, _away from work."

"The engagement could be her birthday present, who would've ever thought her youngest son would be getting married," he said, "and I'm your boss, I think I can give you a few days off."

"You already got your mother a birthday present," she deadpanned, "I know that because I ordered it for you, which I did because I'm good at my job."

"You could've come up with a better reason for why you need to stay at work than that," he told her, "I think your ability exceeds your familiarity with online shopping."

"It does," she promised, and she followed it with a sigh. Kol wondered if it was a sigh of defeat though? From the look on her face, most definitely.

"Okay I would go to England," she relented, "but is it really that smart to visit another country when you could be deported?"

"Maybe not smart, but when I mentioned the trip back in the office there weren't objections. Besides, it would be even less smart to start contradicting what we've said with what we do." He took a smug sip of his drink and then waited for her reply.

"Then okay, I will go to England," she said with a tight lips. "But if I'm such a bad actress how will I look to your family?" she asked, grasping at straws, but also revealing her true reservations about the trip in the process.

"Are you afraid of meeting my family?" he said, somewhat amused. In her defense they could be incredibly intimidating people, and after just a few seconds of thought he realized he understood exactly where she was coming from. So he supported her fears with a short little comment. "We are Mikaelsons."

"That you are…" she trailed off, and she knew what she was getting into but there was a lot more to the plan than she her initial thoughts gave her. Her mind wavered on the thought that things would be a lot easier if there wasn't his family to take into consideration, but that wasn't something she'd wish on someone.

"Well, if we get our story straight things would be easier," he said, "everything is easier with a script."

Davina saw the waiter coming toward their table with their plates. She had to admit for a hole in the wall the food didn't look all that bad. "Why don't we work on the Kol and Davina story tonight, you can come over to my place" he offered, glancing down at the food that had been set in front of them, "I'll get dinner."

* * *

Davina had been musing on the situation she had gotten herself into. When she was younger she always figured she'd get get married where she was born and raised, to her high school sweetheart and they'd bicker over the color scheme. But she came to the conclusion a long time ago that things don't always work out the way you want them to.

She didn't go back to the office after the brunch, she figured she would take a mental day. Maybe it was a bit hypocritical after her insistence on working, but she didn't think she should go back to a buzzing with curiosity office when they hadn't decided on what would be fact yet. Luckily Kol agreed, and she was dropped off at her apartment for well needed hours of reflection.

Reflection was a difficult thing to do when your phone keeps buzzing. She didn't have many friends at the office, but that didn't restrain her co workers from asking their questions. When she finally saw a text from Josh, and then another, she had to grab her laptop to stop herself from responding.

Just because she wasn't at the office didn't mean she was banned from doing work. That was the beauty of technology after all, even if it was rose with thorns. So she did a quick check of her email, where she saw Kol had forwarded a ticket confirmation. First class seat to England, at seven pm on Tuesday, arriving at seven am the next morning.

She was sure the jet lag would be a blast.

The confirmation was a reminder for her to look ahead into what she was supposed to do in next few days. Nothing too big thankfully, which was probably she given herself a light load because Kol wouldn't be around those days. She would be taking message after message for him, so she hoped she could find someone who could take over the mindlessness that her her job would be for a few days. Granted a majority of her work could be considered mindless, but some of it had a little less mind than others, and there was lot of it.

After doing a bit of that work she took a quick look at a book deal to make sure things were in order, and then she told gave herself the break she promised herself earlier. As she shut her laptop she realized she hadn't actually planned to do anything in the break. She had simply promised herself she would take a small break from work to digest the information.

Digesting the information wasn't all that consuming though, and she could see her phone lighting up to her right. Silent is a helpful mode until you become a little too enamored the way your phone lights up with notifications.

Not wanting to compromise her break she decided on going out for a cup of coffee rather than staying in the confines of her home with nothing enthralling enough to keep her busy. She debated whether it not continue her marathon of _Friends_, but decided fresh air wouldn't be a bad thing.

She wasn't about to leave her phone in her apartment though. If the emergency situation emerged she would need to have quick and easy access to contacting people. She could turn it off though, that would stop the notifications, though she noticed they were slowing down. Not replying is a deterrent, but not for one person.

A few missed calls, and even more texts. It seemed he had resorted to simply stringing emojis together to get her attention.

Davina had to be resolute in not talking to Josh. Someday, when she was only slightly older and divorced, she would tell her friend the whole story and it would be a laugh. But it was not yet that day, and laughs would be insensitive.

His avid texting and use of emoticons did beg the question of whether staying home was more useful in terms of working anyway though.

She let her imagination do the wondering as she turned off her phone, watching as the screen turned to a black. It was sad in that state, basically just a paperweight. Giving little time for mourning she tucked it into her pocket and headed toward the door.

* * *

Kol had just gotten home when he started to notice the little alerts on his phone from news sources. He didn't understand why first at first, but he quickly remembered why he had set up those specific notifications.

He had just a little too much to drink that night, and he had been charged with public indecency. Now it should be said for him to have had a little too much to drink meant he should've probably been in a hospital bed rather than a park. The park was where it all went down though, and people walking by had camera phones.

The details aren't really important, Kol would rather leave that event (and the video of it) in the past if it were up to him. The vital information is that he knew what was happening.

An alert was set up on his phone to let him know when a suddenly his name was suddenly googled, yahoo-ed, or bing-ed, more than usual. His brother Elijah's s ex girlfriend Katherine had shown him how to set it up a while back. The reason he kept it was a combination of vanity and people were going to be talking about him he figured he should at least know why.

He got an alert every once in a while. Usually because of something related to the Mikaelson clan as a whole rather than individual. But when one of them had an issue, the others were shortly brought into it.

This time he doubted he would be that lucky enough to have it be about Rebekah launching some new line, or Klaus defending some high profile client. The small sliver of optimism he harbored assured him it was about his mother's birthday, but the realist in him opened up the phone to see what all the fuss was about.

What he saw surprised him never less. He didn't think too much about it, but only because he didn't figure what he did was that suspicious.

On his phone he saw a photo of him, only thirty minutes earlier, leaving Harry Winston.

After a minute of scrolling through the countless captions from random news sources, none that had any real credibility, he realized he was not an discreet in his actions as he could've been. The picture snapped of him was slightly dark, but undeniably him. Despite that had inadvertently saved himself by tucking his purchase in the pocket of his coat.

So it simply appeared to the world, who seemed overly interested in his opinion, that he had left the jeweler empty handed. He could run with it, maybe say he was looking at necklaces but couldn't find anything.

The news articles flashed away as Rebekah's face filled his phone's screen, which prompted the question of whether or not to answer or let it go to voicemail.

"Kol!" Her voice shrieked, and the Kol in question froze where he was standing. Maybe answering hadn't been the best idea if her time was any indication of his the conversation would go. "Did you buy a ring? Who for? Do I know her? Is it my friend Kate who I set you up with once? Send a picture." The last part of that list of questioning seemed more like a demand.

"Hello, sister," he started, trying to figure out his next move. He really had no reason to lie, but Davina wouldn't be over for another few minutes and he didn't want to say anything he would regret. "I don't have a clue what you are talking about," he said with nonchalance, moving over to his kitchen counter where he unloaded the Chinese food from the take out bag. He heard Rebekah take a breath, which meant a long winded reply was about to be given to his statement. One that was likely accusative. "But I have business to attend to so I'm to have to call you back," he quickly interjected, happy he got the words out before she could say a word.

He quickly ended the call and placed the phone on the counter where he saw Rebekah was trying for a second attempt at contact.

She did mean well, but in matters of the heart she had very reservations. He always admired his sister for her passion, it was what drove her to create a fashion house and differentiate herself from their parent's money. At the moment he didn't need her enthusiasm though.

So that's why he let each of her calls go to voicemail as he waited for Davina to arrive. Rebekah was up to thirty-one before he heard a knock on the door.

Davina didn't give herself much time to digest how big his apartment was. She knew the address because she was constantly having to ship things to his home, and she knew it the building was a lot nicer than her own, but it still a culture shock to see so much living space in New York City.

She went ahead deposited the plastic bag in her hand on the kitchen counter. "Okay so I got notecards and colorful sharpies," she told him, waving a rainbow assortment in the air. "I figured once we figured everything out flash cards would be helpful to remember it all," she explained when she saw his confusion. "What's a story if you don't know it," she rambled, eyes moving over to the brown take out bag.

"I got Chinese," he motioned to the bags he saw her eyeing. He didn't know what she wanted but he got a few of the basic dishes, he didn't think there were many people who didn't like mongolian beef or rice.

"Works for me," she said, unloading the boxes. She went for the spring rolls, and then Kol made his own plate. "So have you thought through anything yet?" she inquired, moving over to the what she assumed what the breakfast nook, and settled into a chair. She hadn't really come up with anything concrete herself.

"I think the first step would be when we started dating."

"How about six months after I started working for you?" she offered, "so a little over four years ago." Earlier she had tried to think of a way they got together that wouldn't compromise her professionalism, but she couldn't really think of anything. She thought for a moment that they could say they met before they started working together, but that got to be too complex of a story. One that could also probably be invalidated considering Kol traveled across the continents before he started working, and Davina was in New Orleans in school for almost right up until she got her current job. That and other factors made that option a no for her. "And it would explain why we've kept it a secret," she continued, "assistant and her boss, not the most original scandal but it serves it purpose."

"So four years?" he confirmed, and she nodded, taking a bite of her food. "So I could've proposed to you a few months ago, and that's why we hadn't set a date or anything. I don't think a long engagement would be any surprise coming from me."

His reasoning was sound enough. "Speaking of which, we need to get a ring," she reminded him, and he shot her his signature smirk.

"Wait one second." He hopped up from the his seat and went over to his where his jacket hung from his couch. He grabbed the ring box from the pocket and set it on the table, right in front of Davina. "I already took care of that," he opened the ring box, revealing a very large diamond.

"Wow," she mumbled, not able what else she was supposed to say. She was going to offer that they go to like a pawn shop or something and give it back after everything was over, but he had taken initiative. "So how did you propose to me?" she asked.

"Well, we were eating dinner at my place," he started, "like we do many nights-"

"Chinese?" she questioned, glancing down at their food. He nodded.

"-and we were eating Chinese take out, like we do a lot because we can't very well go out to real restaurants together. I wasn't planning on proposing that night, but I kept the ring I'd bought in my pocket just in the case the moment was right."

"And what made the moment right?" she prompted.

"Well, if you must know, you looked absolutely ravishing that night, and I thought the engagement sex would be good," he joked. That got him a very unamused glare from Davina.

"I think you asked me because I was talking about our future as a couple, and I didn't sound too optimistic since we had kept it a secret for so long," she figured she could start contributing, "and you thought it would be a nice gesture if you went ahead and proposed then."

"That works too," he muttered. He collected his thoughts, going on with her idea. "And obviously you said yes," he finished for them, and he gestured toward the ring for her to put it on.

"You made me put on the ring myself?" she asked teasingly, though she started to move her hand to grab it from the box. She wasn't sure how he had gotten her ring size, but it looked like it would fit. And if not, there was always resizing. Kol made a move quicker though, and he grabbed her hand, which startled her to say the least.

"No," he said simply, and he slipped the ring on her finger. Who would've guessed, it was a perfect fit. It was a gorgeous ring, and though the diamond was big it appeared simple. She would've chosen it for herself if Kol hadn't gone out and purchased the extravagant ring himself. His hand lingered on Davina's maybe a second too long, causing her to break her admiring on the ring. He was watching her look at the ring when she looked up, and he quickly broke the eye contact. "That's something I was quite capable of doing that myself."

* * *

**a/n - So there's chapter two! Hope you liked it, and make sure to give me feedback! I didn't have much time to check over for spelling or grammar mistakes, so I apologize for that. I'll try to go back through another day. Also, I'm admittingly not the lengthiest with chapters, but most of them should waver around the 4k or 5k range. I'll try to shoot for longer sometimes but I plan on updating about once a week or so I think that's about what you'll get.**

**As you have probably already noticed I have revealed some of the minor ships in this story, but I want to remind you that even if you aren't a fan of who I've paired with the Mikaelson siblings that this is a Kolvina fic and there won't be much going on with the other ships. The nonTO TVD characters that will be in this story present day (not just mentioned in the past) are Caroline and Stefan.**

**xo,**

**Luce**


	3. Chapter 3

Davina didn't go to the office on Tuesday. She had gotten up after a long night of memorizing material, and that day she didn't sleep in. When she woke up though, and read through some emails and texts that were actually directed to her rather than work related, she realized that there wouldn't have been much work getting done.

She had gotten Kol's blessing, he had actually suggested it the night before, but she told Josh she had a cold.

She hadn't actually discussed the matter of revealing their situation to friends, but since he wasn't revealing to family she assumed the answer would be a no. It made sense, might as well keep the secret close, but she felt horrible lying to her best friend.

After waking up and making her decision to stay home she quizzed herself on their basic facts. While drinking her morning cup of coffee, or two, she looked at a little fact sheet she had made. It seemed like a burn after reading kind of thing, and out of her paranoia she had written it by hand, but it helped. It gave the simple facts of Kol and Davina's apparent whirlwind secret romance, and also some facts about her new fiance. His favorite color was red, though she wasn't too sure when she would need to know that. She just liked the idea of having a very solid story, and random facts cement that.

When she moved onto packing her bags she realized a challenge she faced. It was understandably less worrying than the illegal one she was facing, but it was something notable.

She was not quite sure what clothes would be appropriate to wear. She had dresses that weren't work suited, but they were all pretty casual. She wasn't sure if jeans would cut it either. Then there was the matter of Esther's actual birthday event, and she was sure she had nothing that would be nice enough for that.

So with a sigh she grabbed her phone. She didn't have any female friends to call on the matter and Josh wouldn't know nor should she have been talking to him. She planned on calling him when she was out of the country and wouldn't have the time to explain herself. Her excuse would be her lack of minutes for international calling.

She figured she would call the person who was putting her in the situation in the first place.

* * *

"Kol, if you don't call me back I swear to god I-"

He shut off the message before Rebekah could continue on. He suspected it would be a rather empty threat, though he would be one of the first to admit his sister had initative on such matters. He didn't think she would do anything crazy over the ring drama though. He didn't feel like explaining things over the phone where there could be miscommunication. Also, he needed to review the facts a little more first.

Before he could move onto matters regarding his faux engagement he had to finish up some business. He had a few hours before he had to return home, pack, and pick up Davina for the flight. He had to email a novelist about their lack of writing, which put their standing with the publishing company. He was sure he was going to get flack from his agent, which meant he was going to be on the phone for the rest of his time at the office.

The only redeeming part of the day was that everyone in the office had gone back to being terrified of him. After what had happened their curiosity was peaked, sure, but that didn't last long. He came into the office with a look on his face that said he was out for blood. That may have not been true, he was actually not all that angry, but that was his default look when preparing to visit with his family.

The only person who kept looking at him was Josh Rosza. Looking back he remembered that Davina was always going over to him throughout the day. It then hit him that he was probably the Josh that Davina was referring to earlier. So he chalked it up to him wanting to know what was going on, only his interest was more personal than nosy.

He heard a buzzing from his phone, and ignored it until he looked down to his cell to see who was actually calling him. He figured it was Rebekah, but it was actually Davina.

"Hello..." he greeted, not sure why she would be calling him. She had decided staying home would be best, and he more than agreed, but he wasn't sure what pressing issue had come up.

"How formal is this all going to be?" she asked, and he heard rustling in the background.

"This all?" he repeated.

"You know the trip, your mom's birthday," she clarified, "all that." She felt a bit daft asking when there were more pressing issues, like memorizing a false part of her life, but she didn't want to look out of place. She was sure there would be enough attention on her already.

"Mother's birthday will probably be black tie," he started, not sure if there was anything else notable. "Just wear a nice dress," he suggested, and she responded with an annoyed huff. His brow rose, though he knew she couldn't see him. It was interesting how quickly Davina had forgone pleasantries.

"I don't think I have a dress nice enough for that," she explained, and the sound of hangers clinking resonated through the phone.

"As long as it's long and looks somewhat formal you'll be fine."

"You underestimate my closet," she countered, and the clicking stopped as she signaled defeat.

"Then buy one and I'll pay you back," he said, and Davina wasn't quick on taking the offer. "Don't let your pride get in the way, it was in our terms," he reminded, and he remembered for himself that was what sprung them into the wedding conversation.

"Do I have a budget?" she asked, and she abandoned her half filled suitcase and went to grab her purse. Davina had lost a lot of her pride in the last twenty four hours anyway. She was scheming to get a promotion, and bribing to get her friend's book in front of the eyes of an editor. In her defense both of those things should've happened long before they would, so she could tell herself she was just doing what needed to be done.

Getting an expensive dress was apparently also what needed to be done.

"Don't go crazy," he warned, "I've heard Rebekah's husband complain about some of the things she buys." His sister did buy most of her own stuff, but Stefan still saw the bills. His family was well off but the Mikaelsons were a breed of their own.

"Is going crazy five hundred?" she guessed, and Kol laughed. It was a quick disbelieving laugh that assured her that she was wrong.

He started to say something that would've been a number, but then he saw that someone important was calling. That someone important being his mother. "Davina, I have to go, just don't spend all of my money," he blurted, ending the call with her to grab his company phone. His mother rarely called him out of the blue, usually she just sent long emails if she was feeling maternal, and she would be too busy planning for her birthday events to take the time for a check up call.

As he grabbed the phone he knew exactly why Esther was calling him. He was sure he had a bitter and curious Rebekah to thank for it.

"Mother!" he exclaimed, hoping putting a smile on his face would somehow resonate through the phone. He never resented her in the way he did his father, but she had a very hot and cold attitude towards her children. Esther Mikaelson loved her children, but the nannies they grew up with raised them. When a death rocked the family she tried to make more of an effort with her kids, cherish the time with them, but she struggled with it. She flitted in and out of their as it suited her conscience, and she meant well but she didn't know how to follow through.

"Kol," she greeted, "how are you doing today?" She was ever the courteous society lady. If their grandmother was alive she would've been proud.

"Wonderful," he replied, and as always he hoped she wouldn't pick up on the sarcasm. He paused, waiting for a response that never came. He withheld a sigh as he went on to ask, "and how are you?" Maybe she did hear the smile in his voice earlier because he could've sworn that he heard hers.

"Well it would be just that much better if what your sister told me was true."

"You know better than to trust-" he was cut off before he could make a comment on his sister's reliability.

"She says that you purchased something from Harry Winston yesterday," she informed him, and technically Rebekah could've wrong. He simply visited the store and to the public he left with nothing, although in truth she was right. "She was thinking you bought a ring, because that's where her mind goes when you mention jewelers," she said, "but I didn't want to jump to conclusions."

Kol said nothing in response. This prompted Esther to say a simple, "so?"

"So what?" he ask, and if she had been in front of him it would be through gritted teeth. His voice was dripping with false sincerity.

"Did you buy a ring? Even if it's a necklace I'd love to know who for."

If Kol ever went out and a necklace for someone he'd love to know who for as well. Buying someone a necklace that cost as much as a modest home never seemed romantic to him, it just seemed frivolous. He had yet to perform a romantic gesture in his life, and he doubted the day would ever come, but it wouldn't be through an expensive necklace. He would hope his mother would know him well enough to draw her own conclusions, but he had to admit that no one really know his romantic habits, not even himself if he was entirely honest.

Kol had been stuck in the cooties stage as a child, and as a teenager he was aware that girls were pretty but never found one he actually wanted to spend time with. Rebekah was sure that he was a gay for a period of time, but he quickly went onto proving her wrong. He discovered casual sex and he stuck with it rather than getting involved in relationships. He always told a dismayed Rebekah that he wasn't opposed to the idea of a relationship, he just never found anyone he wanted to be in one with.

She had told him he was just afraid of commitment. He replied by telling her he'd never experienced it so he had nothing to be afraid of.

"Bex was right this once," Kol said simply, releasing the shock of the century. Or maybe just year. He was sure people expected that he would settle down eventually, just not anytime soon. "I was buying an engagement ring," he confirmed, and he was surprised he didn't hear a shout on Esther's end from Rebekah. She was already in London, and at their parent's house most likely. She was probably lurking around somewhere.

"What's her name?" The shock was present in his mother's voice, even if she tried to conceal it. Through her surprise she was still prying through. Esther was moving onto investigating who he had chosen to marry.

"Davina Claire," he said, and her name rolled off his tongue easily. He knew that his mother wouldn't recognize her, so it was only a matter of time until they reached the question of her employment. In an effort to avoid that topic he skipped to more relevant matters. "She'll be coming with me to to London," he added, "we were going to announce our engagement tomorrow."

"Oh, then I'll keep it under wraps until then." That begged of question of how quickly and was planning on spreading the news initially.

"You can go ahead and tell Rebekah," he told her in a small act of defeat. Might as well let her have knowledge of a fake engagement this time, because you never know what information she'll want to get out of you another time.

"I am looking forward to meeting your fiancé," she said and Kol was sure she would be using the 'f' word often. His reasoning having two parts. One being that it kept reminding her that her formerly wild son had officially calmed down. Two being that she didn't want to call Davina by the wrong name, and she was probably unsure what it was after just one time hearing it.

She said her goodbyes and Kol was left to go back to work. He found it was hard when your personal life seems to require your full attention. He tried to keep things simple in regards to the personal since he settled into his position as editor. The looming possibility of deportation was proving itself to be a natural energizer.

So while Kol was trying to get work done, Davina was on a bit of a mission herself. She was on a hunt to buy a dress. One to help make a good impression on her future, temporary, in laws.

Davina didn't lack good taste, she just wasn't able to buy the larger scale items before. Therefore she felt out of place at the large department store.

Though her budget of five hundred was apparently laughable she tried to stay closer to what seemed to be the cheaper section. The clothing was still way out of her normal price range, but the dresses didn't boast completely absurd price tags. With a look down at what appeared to be perfectly simple red dress she adjusted a previous thought. They didn't have completely absurd prices if you looked at them through the lease of the wealthy.

Which she was trying and failing to do.

A sales attendant was hovering near her as she picked dresses to try on. When she first approached Davina she seemed to be ready to say a repetitious yet upbeat inquiry about her shopping, but then she saw the ring on her finger. Then she took more of a personal interest.

"There's an Alice + Olivia dress in the back that would just be perfect with your stature," she had told her earlier. That was an awkward way of telling Davina they had a good petite dress in stock. She told her to add it to her growing selection of dresses in her dressing room.

When Davina started trying on the gowns she found that a simple yet classic white one fit her criteria. It also wouldn't alarm her credit card company while she got money back from Kol. A stubborn fear stopped her from buying it though. As she took a final look in the mirror she lingered on the idea of it being tacky for someone newly engaged to wear a white gown. That was the end of the white dress, may it rest in piece (and have found a nice owner).

She ended up with a flowy dark red dress, one which probably would be a bit of an alarm to her credit card company. She would have to be ready to confirm on her cell phone she was actually the one making the purchase, not some fraud with a high end taste. It fit her well though, and seemed to fit google's description of a black tie event gown.

The only issue remaining was how to get it to London without any wrinkles or wear.

* * *

"No private plane?" Davina teased, "I'm slightly offended." Kol shook her head, and pulled his suitcase through the crowded airport.

"The Mikaelson plane is being used at the moment," he replied. "We we'll just have to slum it in first class like barbarians," he added, and Davina let out a lighthearted laugh. She knew from booking his flights before that he was familiar with commercial air travel. She also knew he had abused his family's personal plane in the past, and that's why for business and family trips he had to ditch the private airfare.

"Well at least I know you wouldn't relegate me to coach," she said, and there sounded as if there was a warning in her voice.

"Wouldn't dare, Davina Claire," he mumbled, looking slightly amused by his rhyme. They had plenty of time before their plane boarded so they were taking their time getting to their gate. Bag check had taken some time due to their surplus of baggage, including her red gown which she found out could be folded up, just if done with care. As they walked through the airport they had very little to carry, which made navigation easy.

Kol didn't mind travel, he found it rather relaxing had traveled so much and from such a young age that it seemed second nature. He admitted hopping on a private plane was easier than the long process of commercial flying, but he liked airports. Everyone had somewhere to go.

His current travel companion seemed to have other views. She had been joking with nervous laughing ever since they set foot in the airport. For a moment he wondered if she was trying to sneak something through security because she was acting so suspicious. Even her travel shampoo bottles were up to regulation though, and her nervousness revealed itself to be a fear of flying.

"I don't think I'll need these," she declared as she returned from one of the magazine carts, swinging a plastic bag weighed down by numerous newspapers and magazines. "But if for some reason I can't sleep I'll be busy."

The point of the overnight flights were to sleep, but Kol refrained from reminding her of that. The late night flight worked with the time zone change so they arrived in London bright and early. If she wasn't able to sleep he hoped she was ready to ingest a lot of caffeine.

Though if her morning coffee history was any indication she would be up to the task.

"How many times have you actually been on a plane?" He blurted, and the question came out ruder than intended.

Davina's optimistic and excitable look faded away she sat down at the table across from him. She didn't want to get into a conversation about her disdain for flying. She wouldn't call it a fear, more a hatred rooted in fear.

"Three," she answered. First time was flying up to New York, which she experienced in her twenties. She hated the sensation of flying then, which is why she dreaded the round trip visit back to New Orleans and back a year later. It wasn't entirely why she hasn't been back to her hometown since, but sometimes she told herself that excuse to avoid the real reason.

Kol had a look of disbelief etched onto his face, and with a sigh Davina gave a short rationale.

"I never really left my hometown growing up," she explained, "and if I did it was a quick road trip to somewhere nearby. Didn't have a need for flying until I got needed to get here."

"And you're from Louisiana right?" He checked, and she recognized the attempt to review his knowledge.

"That is correct." She settled into her chair, taking a quick glance at her phone for a check on time. They needed to make their way over to the gate soon. After a moment of silence fell upon them she added, "I promise I'm not too bad of a flyer to be around though, I just internalize it."

"Well that sounds like an awful experience," he commented, "internalizing all your fear."

"Well I wouldn't call it fear," she argued, "more of an inexperience."

Forty minutes later when they were seated on the plane Kol learned it was the former. Davina was seated next to him and had insisted on the window seat. He didn't have a preference, since they were rows of two, but he realized she may have not chosen the right seat.

When you the plane started to move and visibly tensed, and after a while ten seconds of looking after ground out the window she shut the window. Then sat looking so incredibly uncomfortable for the next ten minutes. When the plane started to take off she looked like she was about to collapse into herself. Kol didn't say anything because she looked so guarded and he was afraid if he said anything she would flinch.

"Is your girlfriend okay?" the man from across the aisle asked when the plane leveled out in the night sky.

"Fiancé," he automatically corrected, not thinking twice, which made him pause. "She's just a nervous flyer," he said, and he glanced as she focused all her attention on the chair in front of her.

Kol grabbed the plastic bag she had placed under their feet, and handed her a newspaper. It was the least abruptive way he came up with to get her to snap out of whatever she was in.

"I am just not a good flyer," she muttered, giving him a small smile which she meant to be reassuring. Her hands clutched into the newspaper and refocused her attention onto something actually productive.

It wasn't until the flight attendants came around that he stirred her from her state of mind again. She didn't hear him ordering it, so when he handed her plastic glassware , better described as a cup, filled with wine she gave him a questioning look.

"It'll go faster if you're asleep, and I figured red wine, even bad wine, would help," he told her, and she hesitantly took it from him.

"I'm not much a drinker." He could've guessed that much from her small frame. Before he could even try to push the idea of the wine to her further she tipped the cup back and downed it. She handed him the cup without word and he tucked it into the seat pocket. "Okay, I'll try to sleep," she promised him, although the wine probably wouldn't kick in for another few minutes. So the result was her with her eyes squeezed shut as she laid back in her seat.

Kol wasn't sure when, or if, she had gone to bed because before he knew it he was dozing off himself. When he woke up several hours later he found a head resting on his shoulder. Davina was very much asleep, and she leaned up against him.

The wine had worked, and she had fallen into a steady sleep cuddled up next to her boss and fake fiancé.

* * *

**a/n - I was finally able to update! Life got hectic and then when I finally wanted to update this website decided to mess up. But here were are now, and I hope you liked it. It's a bit fluffy and filler-y but I wanted to throw in some lighthearted moments after last weeks episode (though I hold out hope that Kol is coming back). **

**Thanks so much for all your love in the form in follows, faves, and comments! To one comment in particular I want to say that Katherine is actually not in this fic present day (though she will be referred to in past). So while I appreciate the time you took to give me an idea it won't work with this fic. The plot will start getting better next week, I promise! **

**xo,**

**Luce**


	4. Chapter 4

Two things surprised Davina when she woke up.

The first was that she was waking up, because that would imply that she fell asleep in the first place. She didn't think a glass of wine would be enough to get her to sleep with his anxiety over the plane. As she found her eyes fluttering open she realized that the wine had done just that.

The second was that she had fallen asleep on Kol's shoulder. It was something that she quickly remedied as she snapped her head up and away, as quickly as her groggy brain allowed.

She gave a silent thanks when she saw he was asleep, and therefore hopefully never saw that she'd gotten too close for comfort. There were no written rules for the position she was in, but even with the ring on her finger it felt like it was crossing a line.

Her preoccupation of the shoulder dilemma took her mind off the fact that she was a plane that was close to landing. The act of landing a plane is significantly larger than taking off, something that Davina had made sure to educate herself on. Her mind was on Kol as they reached that point in the flight, so when she heard the pilot announce they were nearing London her mind went straight to waking him up.

The most effective way of waking him up was a small shove to a shoulder her head had recently acquainted itself with. She had earlier tried saying the words "wake up" with the necessary amount of vigor, but it didn't work, so shoulder shoving it was.

Waking him up proved to be an awfully simple task though, so it was only a matter of time before she realized the 'buckle your seatbelt' sign was lighted and they were nearing descendsion.

Then she could've cared less for if Kol was awake or if his shoulder was really that comfortable.

"So when are we seeing your family?" she asked, trying to distract herself from what could be her impending death. It wasn't an irrational fear either, it could very well happen. Her chances were slim, but they existed. She could control many aspects of her life, and she when she could she did, but it wasn't up to her if an airplane decided to malfunction.

"Well we're staying at my parent's house, so we'll be going there right after we land," he told her, very aware she already knew and was just talking to talk.

"If we land," she muttered, and he raised a brow in slight amusement.

"We'll land, the odds are probably in our favor with this one."

"There's always a chance we could be that one in a million," she pointed out, and the plane jolted as it began to descend. Her hand were white from their grip on the armrests in seconds.

When they landed, without a hitch, just a concerned Davina, he made an extra remark.

"But the odds say we won't be." He shot her a smug grin, which she returned with an exasperated sigh. It took her a moment to relish the fact she was okay and hadn't died in an attempt to con the government, but after she did she helped Kol with their carry on.

"In the mood for some last minute cramming?" she asked later, when they were waiting on their luggage.

"We left the note cards back in New York," he pointed out.

"Just recalling information helps." Enough practice was never enough when it came to real world problems, like being able to recount a false relationship with a fake fiance's family.

"What's our favorite movie to watch together?" he asked.

"Anyone Alfred Hitchcock, though sometimes we go the Batman route."

"What's the most elaborate date we've ever had?" He grabbed the first of their bags off the conveyer as she came up with a response.

"We we snowed in for four days together in your apartment, and it was early on in our relationship. We ate cereal and I complained about the lack of food in your apartment," she said as if she was reminiscing. It couldn't be a true testament of her acting skills because she hadn't been put to the real life test yet, but Kol had confidence. "Which is why you try to make more of an effort with your groceries now," she reminded him.

They went on like this for the rest of their wait. Once got all their bags they slowed down their conversation to focus on finding their driver.

"What's my favorite color?" Davina asked Kol, one last test before they had to slip into engaged mode. They had spotted the sign that was marked Mikaelson, but it was their family driver who was according to Kol was a bit of a gossip.

"Trick question, you don't have a favorite," he countered. The one time they'd gone over the topic she had offhandedly said that she wavered between blue and purple.

His response had her smiling. It wasn't in a teasing way, nor as a confirmation to what he had said. The smile just made it's way onto her lips without much thought.

"Mr. Mikaelson! How are you today," he greeted, not sure what to call the girl to his side. The ring placed on her finger and her proximity to Kol led him to a conclusion, but having known the youngest son for quite some time he doubted it.

"Jet lag hasn't hit me yet." He wasn't sure how else he could respond to such a generic question. Good? That hardly got a conversation going.

He took note of the driver's quick glances to his side, where Davina made a point to be awfully close to him.

Her thinking was that too close for comfort no longer applied when they were trying to sell that they were madly in love. She shifted in her spot as his family driver eyed her for a second. Standing her ground she released her grip from her luggage to extend her hand. The hand used was chosen with some thought.

"My name's Davina," she introduced, giving the man a firm handshake. It was the first of many.

* * *

"I am slightly terrified," Davina whispered when they got out of the car. A forty minute ride later and they had been deposited outside of the Mikaelson home. It should've probably been followed with something grander than home. Manor was better suited. "Or I'm intimidated," she corrected, "to be honest I can't really tell."

He reached down and squeezed her hand. He wrote it off as being in character, which was her conclusion when she felt it.

"That is entirely justified," he assured her, which wasn't providing any relief.

Yet she tightened her grip on his hand. She wrote it off as a replacement for the luggage she could've been holding, but that their driver would be taking in for them. He wasn't exactly sure what to think.

With a deep breath she released his hand and she started walking towards the front door. It had to be twice her size, though one could argue that wouldn't make it all that big.

Kol did the knocking, Davina was too busy trying to calm down her shaky hand. She was never the biggest liar, opting for omission of the going got tough, but she had turned her life into a falsification.

There were best and worst case scenarios to who opened the door. The best option being the staff, who would escort them in without much fuss. Mikael wouldn't bother with the door, so luckily he wouldn't be the first family encounter that Davina had. His mother was a possibility though, knowing he was on his way.

Kol couldn't place right away if the person who opened the door was one of the better scenarios.

"You must be Davina!" Rebekah exclaimed, eyes darting down immediately to the her side where her ring laid. She greeted with a warm smile, and pulled the unsuspecting girl into a tight embrace.

It felt out of place for his sister. She was a pro at balancing icy yet hopelessly romantic in the past, but it seemed all bets were off.

"That's me," she squeaked, feeling a bit suffocated in the blonde's tight embrace. Her eyes darted to Kol in worry, but she returned the other girl's hug.

Kol hadn't prepped her for a warm welcoming Rebekah.

"It's lovely to meet you." She finally pulled away and gave her room to breathe.

"Great to meet you too." She had just barely hidden the relief in her voice that she had pulled back. Rebekah was a lot taller than Davina and when she's pulled pulled into a hug like that she has no room for air.

"Come on in, it's cold out," Rebekah commanded, and Davina quickly followed her in. Kol stood for a moment outside the door before his sister beckoned, "You too, Kol. And it's lovely to see you as well." She flashed him a large grin and they were all soon in the the foyer of the house.

The foyer was three times the size of Davina's apartment. Again, one could argue that wasn't much, but still, Kol's childhood home was huge.

Rebekah caught her staring, but noted that it wasn't envy in her eyes it was a bit of fear.

"Mother's out doing some business, as is Mikael, so for now it's just the four of us," she said, causing Davina to break her trance.

"Klaus and Caroline aren't here yet?" Kol asked, finally speaking.

"They kept their flat in London actually." The pair had decided they were going to take a year to travel the world together, and had announced to everyone they were selling their home. Kol had mentioned it to Davina, who found it hard to believe, but they had the means. Anyone else would have had to wait until they were in their retirement. But it worked out for Caroline, who was writing on a travel column as an alternative to her normal work. "So they're staying there unless they absolutely need to be here," Rebekah added. Kol easily translated that into 'they're staying there until they have to be in the same room as Mikael'.

"Who's the fourth?" Davina asked. She doubted that Rebekah was including any of the staff around the house in that number.

"My husband," she replied with a smile. Stefan Salvatore, an attorney all around nice guy according to Kol's intel. "He's doing some work right now, some big case that can't be ignored."

Davina nodded as if she knew the feeling.

"Well Rebekah, I take it mother told you the news?" Kol confirmed, stopping his sister from advancing any farther through the house. He knew she had taken note of the ring, but he also knew Esther had surely told her.

"That she's having people donate to charity instead of giving her gifts?" She pondered, the grin on her face giving her away.

Kol moved close to Davina and reached for her hand, clasping their fingers.

"We're engaged," he announced.

"I know," she said, and her smile turned into a smirk for a split second but it returned back to its excited purse. "But I didn't dare think it true until I heard it from you. And I must say, good ring choice. I also must admit the rumor took me aback, you know with Kol's record and-" Rebekah went on to give a condensed reasoning as to why she thought Kol could have died alone. Davina just kept nodding and laughing where it seemed appropriate until the blonde had lead them to another room.

"Hey Kol," Stefan mumbled his hello as he typed away on his laptop. He put enough energy into his words they were friendly, but the man looked exhausted. A cough from his wife stirred him from his work and he looked up to find an extra person in the room. An extra person holding hands with his notoriously single brother in law. "Oh, and hello Kol's friend."

Rebekah was many things, but she wasn't an awful gossip. So Kol assumed the real engagement announcements would continue. They really should have waited until everyone was in a room together and then announced it to avoid the hassle.

The next person to receive the news quickly got up from his seat and closed the gap, extending his hand out, "Stefan Salvatore." Davina shook it, and he raised a brow at what he saw on her finger, but didn't comment. There were a lot of thoughts running through his head though.

"Davina Claire," and she wasn't sure if it was her turn to break the news. They hadn't discussed the actual act of telling everyone of their engagement. They both assumed things would work out.

"So..." Stefan started, needing a moment to gather his thoughts. A look over to Rebekah, a very happy looking Rebekah, helped his new theory. "Are congratulations in order?" He didn't specify marriage or accidental baby because the latter could've lead to the former.

"The undateable brother is settling down," His wife answered for them.

Maybe things would just work out.

"Undateable?" Kol repeated.

"By choice," Davina quipped. That comment made Rebekah smile.

"Congratulations then," Stefan said, "that's great." Though he sounded amicable enough Kol was surprised he didn't seem sold. It was understandable, because that would be going from a dating record of one girl in secondary school to an engagement. It was a pretty big jump.

Which is why Stefan wasn't ruling out baby just yet. He made a mental note to ask his wife about their circumstances later.

To be entirely honest the accidental pregnancy thing was the first thing Esther had mentioned to Rebekah when she relayed the news about the engagement. Her daughter wasn't as certain, because if that was the case she wouldn't put it past Kol to book a flight to Vegas. Or wouldn't have bothered with marrying the girl anyway.

She was hoping it wasn't just a coverup for an accidental pregnancy. After many years of nagging on Kol to find someone, or even date, she liked the idea of him following her advice. Even if he wasn't doing it with her in mind.

"Anyone want some tea," Rebekah offered. She looked over to Davina. "Coffee?"

"Either sounds great," Davina shot her a smile.

"Come with me to the kitchen?" Rebekah motioned to a door.

"Uh, sure!" Davina tried to keep up her energetic and friendly tone, but with that one word (two if you counted her filler word) she had started moving into more uncharted territory. She shot Kol a look that hopefully didn't look too fearful, and then trailed behind Rebekah.

They ending up going for tea. Davina figured it was because the coffee had already brewed and it would take longer. It looked like she was in for a long conversation.

Which was absolutely terrifying.

Outside, back in the sitting room, Stefan was left to talk with Kol. He wasn't sure where to start, the two had never been close. Kol never seemed to care for family matters, and therefore gave Stefan little recognition. Then again, Kol was barely ever there to give him recognition in the first place. Before he started his job in New York he was traveling everywhere except for where his family was located.

"So how did you and Davine meet?" Stefan asked, not realizing that his question would lead into an uncomfortable realization. Kol braced for the worst reaction, though he didn't think Stefan would be too inconsiderate. He was hoping that the topic could somehow be avoided when it came to his parents.

In the kitchen, Rebekah had asked Davina a question that ultimately led to the same answer. "So, how long have you and Kol been together?"

"About four years." That made Rebekah pause as she reached for the mugs.

"Four years." she repeated in disbelief. That was longer than she had anticipated. Davina gave a small nod, and Rebekah let out a sound of annoyance. "He kept your relationship a secret for four years so his family wouldn't know."

"There were other factors," Davina quickly defended. She had to learn to bite her tongue.

"Such as?"

"Well, for work," she hesitantly said. Rebekah raised a brow, and her silence forced Davina to go on. "Kol is my boss," she explained, trying to focus her eyes on anything other than her future sister in law. The refrigerator was shiny enough to get her attention.

"Oh," was all Rebekah first said. She had her fair share of romances her parents deemed unacceptable by her parents before Stefan. At the end of the day she didn't marry any of them though, even if she had been close to doing so. "You mean you work in his office right? Like you're a lower editor?" She hoped she didn't sound like she was grasping at straws.

"I'm his assistant." The fridge wasn't metallic enough to hold her as she, against her better judgement, looked to see Rebekah's expression.

"Oh," was all she said.

Kol and Davina had been shown to their room after equally uncomfortable conversations.

"Should we have said we met outside of work?" She asked him as she sat down on the bed.

"Best lies are based in truth," Kol reminded, though he didn't look like he believed that.

"I mean Rebekah didn't seem too shaken up." She was trying to make it look better as she looked back on it. Remembering what it felt like in the moment was what made her unsure. "More taken aback."

Kol didn't tell her those were basically the same thing, because he was sure she already knew.

"What about Stefan?" she asked.

"I think he's more confused that I'm engaged in the first place. You being my assistant seems to make it more believable," he admitted. Apparently if the irresponsible Kol was to marry anyone, it made sense it would be his assistant.

"Well dating your assistant isn't illegal," Davina reminded him, "but staying in the United States after visa has expired is."

If Kol hadn't come from the family he did things would be much more straightforward.

"Next time we explain that I think we should be together," He suggested. "We'll look very much in love, and we'll try to sell them on our relationship first before we get into the gritty details."

Davina nodded, but she decided they were in enough of a mutual understanding that she could speak her mind on the matter. "Is it really that bad that I'm your assistant?" It obviously wasn't the ideal situation, but definitely not the worst possible.

"I think Stefan thinks you're pregnant," Kol admitted. His brother in law had made several comments too many about kids in their short conversation.

Davina's eyes popped, though it wasn't too much of a stretch to conjure up. "Well I'm not, I'll be sure to very clearly ask for a wine at dinner." After a beat she added, "Not in an alcoholic way though."

"I think the main problem is my father," he said. Esther would be a bit judgemental about Davina's background. In that moment Kol realized that Davina hadn't divulged much about her past, but to Esther she was just a girl with a blatantly average upbringing. In that respect she wasn't much different than Caroline, Klaus' wife, but she had cemented a career for herself.

Davina had aspirations, but she hadn't gotten there yet. She had planned on live easy for a while before she made any big changes.

Mikael was going to be judgemental though. In retrospect he probably should've thought through how he was going to react when they were planning everything.

But like Davina said, at the end of the day the goal was to make them look believable. Staying together for four years in a secret relationship made them look like they were dedicated to each other.

Yet a judgemental look from Mikael Mikaelson was something to be afraid of. Davina looked uncomfortable next to Rebekah, who while intimidating was happy for her brother and therefore excited about his fiance. His father could probably care less.

"I think your sister liked me though, she smiled at me a lot."

"That doesn't necessarily mean she likes you," he warned her, but he had seen his sister's response to his petite fiancé. Looking at Davina himself he figured he'd give her a boost of confidence. She looked completely exhausted, and it wasn't even noon. "But in this case I think it does."

That gave Davina some assurance as she sat up from her former slouch. "So we have a few hours before we get lunch?" she confirmed, looking over to her luggage stacked in the corner. She really should unpack but she was drained.

He gave her a nod of confirmation. Rebekah had suggested that they all get lunch together, and they had said yes. At the time they didn't realize that she was proposing a lunch with additional family members, but it was too late to say yes when Rebekah mentioned Elijah, Klaus, and Caroline.

Davina always considered herself sociable, but after encounters with just two members of the exceptionally large family she was ready to call it day. Even though she was able to sleep on the plane she felt anyone but well rested.

"I'm going to take a nap," she announced, and as she moved to lay down she paused. "Speaking of the sleeping arrangements…" she trailed off, gesturing to the sole bed in the room. It wasn't like they could request another room, that would be a bit suspicious for a happy couple. "I call the bed."

Kol expected as much, and took a moment to look around the room.

"That carpet's pretty comfortable," he remembered, looking down at the antique rug placed in the room. A carpet wasn't his first choice when it came to a bed, but he didn't want to push anything with Davina. He had assured her she didn't have to make them not sleeping together, in the less than innocent way, apart of their terms and conditions. She insisted even after he told her he wouldn't put her that situation, which caused a break in their generally light conversation, but it made her feel more comfortable so he let her have that to ease her conscience. "I can get pillows and whatnot to make it work."

She gave him a thankful smile, and he gave her an understanding nod.

"Wake me up in a hour." As soon as she put her head on the pillow she was practically already asleep.

Kol tried not let his eyes linger on her as he moved to leave the room.

* * *

**a/n - Here's your update, and I hope you liked it. I was able to get it to it quicker than last time, which I'm planning on making a regular thing. And thank you for all your nice reviews, I love reading all of them and I hope you continue to write them. **

**In other news Kol and Davina are in E's Top TV Couple Tournament/Poll, and though it's amazing we were even nominated I think we should see how far we can go! So go vote for them in the first round i****f you can, and if you're reading this later than March 1 than go vote in the second round (assuming we get that far). It's hard to word this knowing this will up here long after the polls are over, so long story short, just vote if you can :)**

**xo,**

**Luce**


	5. Chapter 5

"I have to say, I always pegged Kol as a blondes type of guy." Klaus didn't seem to know what to say, so he went with offhand remarks every once in a while. Rebekah had very aggressively warned him not to make Davina uncomfortable, and though he didn't often listen to his younger sister she was insistent on it.

The brunette who was the topic of conversation did not know how to respond. That wasn't really the type of thing you comment on. Maybe if they knew each other a bit better she could make some banterous comment, but Davina tried to reserve those sharp remarks for when she knew they would be well received.

Klaus' better half, Caroline Forbes, noticed her husband's comment was ill received. "I don't think one brunette makes that his type," she argued. When the words left her mouth she rethought them. "Not that you're just one brunette," she quickly added, giving Davina a big smile, "you're _the_ brunette for Kol."

"Thank you?" Davina saw the compliment in her statement, but it wasn't exactly forthcoming. She hoped her reply didn't round too confused.

"Well Kol's no Elijah, hasn't earned that one yet," Klaus remarked, causing the eldest Mikaelson at the table to give his brother a pointed look. In Klaus' defense, and he didn't get that often, Elijah did have a track record when it came to women with dark hair.

"Well I personally don't think I have any type regarding hair color, but I thank all you for the input on the matter," Kol said, taking a sip of his drink. Rebekah had ended up switching to a brunch last minute, a late one, but still having the same connotations.

The whole environment felt like he was eleven again and had to attend Sunday brunch with his parent's business partners. Those were bad memories, mainly because of the stern speeches Esther would give him if he did something to act up.

Someone, or some book, must've told Esther that children acted out to get attention. In Kol's case that was entirely accurate, but the way to remedy that was not to ignore their outbursts in hope they would stop. He never stopped, he just got more creative in his antics with age. Sure it might've been a cry for attention from his family but it became a lifestyle at some point, expanding far beyond brunch.

"Are you a New York native, Davina?" Elijah politely inquired. He hadn't said much throughout the meal, but he seemed the most welcoming sibling. That was excluding Caroline, who held the title of in law. Rebekah had a bit of a hot and cold approach, and Klaus just wasn't sure how to approach the matter.

"Born and raised in New Orleans actually." She hoped the inquiry was merely a means to get the conversation away from awkward and empty comments. Spilling her past wasn't the ideal way to spend her afternoon.

"Garden District?"

"French Quarter," she specified. Her family had set roots in the area, though they lived closer to the business district. Because of her family's ties she tended to spent her time in tourist ridden part of the city.

"Well as I'm sure Kol has already told you we spent some time in New Orleans because of our parent's business." This was news to Davina, as her proximity to an old vacation spot was news to Kol. He hadn't pressed about her past.

She gave a knowing nod to Elijah though, as if to say she had heard all about it. The brother didn't seem too convinced, but an arrival of their food stalled the conversation.

A shrill ring erupted and Davina's face reddened. When she reached into her purse to see who was calling her the red faded into a sheet white.

"Do you need to take that?" Rebekah asked, and Davina hoped she didn't look to taken aback. Kol would later tell her that she looked like she had seen a ghost.

A ghost entailed they weren't still around though. That wasn't true for the caller. She could always count on badly timed reminders of that.

"I really do, I'm sorry." Her voice didn't seem too apologetic, and Kol kept a steady eye on her as she moved toward the door.

It wasn't until a comment from Caroline that he ripped her eyes away from his anxiety ridden fiancé. His sister in law was about to ask if it was work problems, but she changed the guess last minute. They had already gone over the newly engaged couples work dynamic. "Family stuff?" She tried.

Kol, who hadn't the slightest clue, gave a vague response. "Us Mikaelsons can't keep all the family drama to ourselves." To his knowledge Davina wasn't close enough to her family to have problems. It was clear from her expression that something had to have caused something.

"Davina's great," Caroline said, tearing everyone's eyes away from the brunette. She figured the girl didn't need anything in addition to whatever her phone call was about. "You said you've been dating for four years?"

"Just a little over," Kol confirmed, happy he'd gone over the specifics with Davina earlier. He tried to balance his focus between checking on Davina outside the window and keeping in the conversation. Doing math with made up numbers would've been too much to multi task.

"Why did you insist on keeping it a secret, brother?" Klaus asked. "From the family I mean. No need to go over the obvious reason."

The obvious reason had already been discussed at brunch. Klaus took it with little surprise, Caroline kept her smile steady, and Elijah was unreadable. They weren't too judgmental though, Kol was waiting on Mikael and Esther for that.

"Well neither of us wanted to rush things in the beginning," he started, wishing Davina was there to offer up an explanation. "I guess we- I just thought it would make things simpler if we kept it to ourselves, and it did."

"I'm honestly would've thought you would elope and never tell us so this is more than fine." Rebekah was trying to keep the mood light. It's effectiveness was arguable.

Their talk moved over to Caroline's recent columns, and Kol out his word in every once in a while. His focus kept drifting over to his assistant. She wasn't doing a lot of talking, but everything about her screamed that she was clearly uncomfortable.

"I'm gonna go see how Davina's doing," Kol announced, his words taking him aback. No one else at the table took much notice of it, which he realized should've been expected. They were engaged, and a couple generally wants to make sure their partner is doing okay.

Kol had surprised himself because he knew that whatever was going on wasn't related to their faux engagement and he was still taking interest.

The eyes flitting up from the wood terrace were filled with panic. His presence made her tenser, and she quickly muttered something into her phone and ended the call.

"Sorry, do I need to go back in?" She asked, her voice filled to the rim of false easiness.

"Just wanted to check up on you." He sounded a bit guilty. Unlike the rest of their table she faltered at the comment.

"I'm fine," she said firmly, though her shaky hand conflicted with that statement. "I just was not expecting a call from them," she added quickly, and it was clear she wasn't going to divulge who she meant by them.

"But you're good now?" Comforting wasn't really his strong suit, especially when he wasn't sure if should even be comforting her.

"Sure." A shrug wasn't the most convincing thing she could have done, but she did it.

Without much thought Kol closed the gap between the two of them, and placed his hand on her shaky arm. He didn't second guess the gesture until he saw Davina's alarmed expression.

"Do you think they suspect something's up?" She asked Kol, not breaking eye contact as she gestured her chin towards the restaurant. Her eyes shifted to where he had placed his hand.

He raised a brow, not quite understanding what she was getting at.

"You know, that's why you're trying to be convincing?" she added to her guess. That's when it clicked.

"Sure!" He held her gaze and shot her a smile. He was trying to be convincing, that's why he came out to see how she was doing. At least that's what he told himself as he leaned down and kissed on her cheek.

The whole scene was pretty convincing, but none of the Mikaelsons were paying attention to the two of them. Rebekah had actually ordered the table not to look at them so Davina wouldn't be uncomfortable.

The convincing was just for the two of them.

* * *

Davina kept her phone on close watch when they got back to the house. Esther was expected to be home at any moment, and Kol was clearly nervous. Davina's nerves on the other hand had calmed since earlier, and the rest of his family had put her at ease, but she was on edge.

"Ready for mother dearest?" He asked, though it was just something to fill the space in the air. Davina looked up from her charging phone, the only messages popping up mundane and work related, and gave him a terse nod.

"It might be good to get it over with," she admitted, pushing herself from her spot on the bed. "You can go on down," she told him "I'll be down in a minute" The cue was taken, and he started toward the door. He was nervous enough for the both of them. The fact that they were putting on the performance of fake couple worried him almost as much as the simple act of introducing a girl to Esther. He once remembered the disdain she had towards a girl he'd brought to a gala who never got a second date. A green card marriage entails a marriage taking place and Esther was a very effective woman when it came to getting what she wants.

The fear that had been festering in his mind was that Esther would take Davina as a sign that Kol would be married. Then she would set someone up that she found more agreeable. Agreeable took time though, and time wasn't exactly in the cards.

And why waste a perfectly good fake fiancé.

When the door shut after Kol's departure the perfectly good fake fiancé allowed herself to take a deep breath.

Her day was sure to have it's ups and downs as she was pretending to be engaged to her boss, who had an intimidating family. A down was the discomfort towards her job (unstandable given the situation, but still had a bite to it). An up was the fabulous food at brunch. A down was the unexpected phone call from a past she wanted to stay in the past, for her own sanity if for nothing else.

Then there was her encounter with Kol that she couldn't quite label.

Her deep breathing turning into sighs and made a move to go to the bathroom to run a brush through her hair. She had already done it a dozen times in the past hour but why shouldn't thirteen be a lucky number? It was discriminated enough as it was.

A knock at the door ruled lucky number thirteen out, and she changed her course to the exit of her overly lavish bedroom.

"Oh, hello," she greeted, giving Elijah a friendly smile. She had been leaning against the doorframe before she realized it wasn't Kol, but she straightened herself. The whole family gave off a very formal vibe.

"Esther's car just pulled up," he informed, "so I thought I'd get you on my way down."

"Thank you." She made her way into the hallway and caught her reflection in a decorative mirror. Her hand brushed the hair from her face without pause.

"You look lovely," he assured her. It didn't sound like an effort to rush her so she took it to heart and tore herself away from the mirror.

"Thank you," she said again, though her tone was warmer. Genuine.

"Try not to worry too much about my mother, she can scary but she does want the best for us." The pair made their way down the hall. "That includes Kol," he added when she made no comment.

That meant it was more of matter of if Esther thought Davina was the best. She hoped her ego wouldn't be bruised after their encounter. Elijah gave no assurance on that front.

"I forgot to thank you for brunch earlier," she blurted as they descended down the stairs. "It was delicious and I very rudely didn't thank you earlier." The older Mikaelson had paid for their meal, and Davina couldn't have really argued with the prices. "I'm sorry about that."

It crossed her mind she was abusing the phrase 'thank you' but it kept the conversation going.

"No need for apologies." Davina glanced up and caught the curiosity in his eyes. No doubt he was wondering who could've called to shake her up so much.

"Davina Claire," an unfamiliar voice said. It was odd hearing her name said with such gusto when she hadn't met the person. Even though the woman and her hadn't been properly introduced, Davina knew exactly who the woman was.

"Mrs. Mikaelson," Davina said, with a little more enthusiasm than she gotten from the matriarch.

"Call me Esther." It sounded like more of a formality really, Davina didn't see herself referring to the woman by her first name anytime soon.

Noticing Kol's distance Davina moved herself away from Elijah's side and saddled herself next to Kol. He laced her fingers with hers, which happened out of a combination of his own worry and a make it look real. With Esther's obvious notice of the motion Davina took it as the latter.

"Aren't you a handsome couple." It was hard to tell what Esther was going for with that comment. Maybe it was the accent throwing Davina off.

Enough thank you's had been said for the day, so Davina hoped a smile would be enough. Esther wasn't perturbed by her lack of a response, and shrugged off her coat.

"How old are you Davina?" She abruptly asked. Though it wasn't the most ordinary question to start off with, the twenty-five year old took it with ease, giving her answer. All she got was a nod like Davina had just told her some big secret, which was unnerving. "You look younger than that."

Davina could've have she got that a lot, but she didn't, so she just continued her smile. It may or may not have begun to look a bit forced.

"Well come on and give me a hug, dear," Esther prompted. No one in the room expected that to be next. Davina untangled her hand from Kol's and stepped forward to give the woman a hug. The hug was proper, and as formal as a hug could be, but it was a good sign. "Welcome to the family," was all that was said during the incredibly long hug.

Neither Davina or Kol could figure out exactly what had just happened, but there hadn't been any thinly disguised condescending comments, so that had to be a good start.

"I'm afraid Mikael is tied up at work, so you'll have to settle for me just now," Esther announced as she pulled the brunette away. The news was welcome. Best to give Davina a slower emersion into the family she had been formally welcomed into.

Technically the invitation was presented and involuntarily accepted when Davina went into her boss' office just two days prior. The welcoming was nice though, and it certainly put Kol at ease.

"Shall we go sit down and get to know each other some more?"

"It would be my pleasure," Davina responded, looking back at Kol and giving him a look of triumph.

Mikael was not going to be quite as easy.

* * *

**a/n - I'm back from vacation! I spent my spring break traveling around the deep(er) South and I actually stopped in New Orleans for a few days. It gave me a bit of inspiration so look out for in universe one shots, cause they may be popping up in the next few. I'm sorry the chapter was so short, especially since it's been several weeks since I last updated, but there wasn't much else to write. I can promise that Chapter Six will be pretty loaded though. It's Esther's birthday and her party will be eventful. **

**So leave your reviews, I love reading all of them, and I hope you liked the chapter despite it's length!**

**xo,**

**Luce**


	6. Chapter 6

Davina was never much of a party girl. Never threw them, never really attended them. Watching Esther's big day come together made her regret that a little.

She did doubt that most parties had ice sculptures and crystal chandeliers though.

"Are you going to sit around all day until the party?" Rebekah asked, and Davina tore herself away from watching the workers transform the Mikaelson mansion into something even more grand. Maybe a bit more intimidating too.

"What else should I be doing?" Kol had a last minute lunch meeting with some people the London branch of the publishing company, and Davina had planned on shutting herself in their room until he came back. When she heard that Esther had left to pick some things for the party she let herself out of self imprisonment.

The Mikaelson matriarch was one of the most welcoming people she had ever met. She doubted every bit of it was sincere, but the woman was one hell of an actress. If Davina hadn't been worrying about keeping up her own act she would felt totally comfortable around her.

If Kol really did have a fiancé someday he wouldn't have to worry. Davina was pretty sure it wasn't her charming personality that got Esther smiling, it was the simple fact that Kol had proposed to her. But when she told that to Kol the night before he promised her that wasn't the case.

Even with her warm welcome Davina thought it was better to stay away from the Mikaelsons as a whole until Kol came back. She didn't want to be given any questions that couldn't be answered.

"Getting ready for the party tonight," Rebekah said, as if it were obvious. Davina's lack of big party experience also meant she didn't realize everything that went into it. "Caroline and I had some appointments booked today, and I took some initiative by turning them into appointments for three." Davina found herself genuinely smiling, something she hadn't even done with Esther. Rebekah had a very special breed of kindness.

It was a compelling offer. Sitting in a chair, no matter how comfy, and watching as someone devoted their time to making sure a piece of sculpted ice wouldn't melt wasn't incredibly appearing. There was also the added bonus of being left alone in her thoughts, which had been plentiful.

"I wouldn't want to intrude," was Davina's poorly made excuse. Kindness was great, but it didn't stop her from feeling like she was skating on thin ice. She wasn't on a visit to her future in laws, and she was doing something illegal. The nerves that came with making a good impression didn't quite compare with the fear of putting on a convincing show.

"Your hair isn't going to style itself."

"I could do it." Her tone betrayed her words. And they should have because Davina had only had the forethought to bring the dress and some heels. At most she could brush through her hair a few times more than usual.

"Luckily for you," Rebekah motioned for her to get out of the chair she'd inhabited for the past few hours, "you don't have to."

Unfortunately for Davina she had little will power. She didn't consider it recklessness, just a strong believe that she should be able to do what she wanted. Davina wasn't a party girl because she had no desire to be one. If she was naturally inclined there'd be no telling what she would have become.

"So… when are we leaving?"

* * *

"It's nice to know the number of Mikaelson woman is growing," Rebekah said as a woman manicured her nails. "You two need to have girls," she said, almost exasperated.

Caroline looked thoughtful. Davina took a long sip of champagne when she saw Rebekah sneaking a peek at her. Alcohol was no friend to her, but she didn't want anyone getting any ideas. She liked the fake relationship that they had cooked up, she didn't want to throw unprotected sex into the long line of lies.

In retrospect marriage prompted by an unexpected pregnancy was better than a marriage prompted by impending deportation.

Davina made sure her glass was set down with a loud clink before she spoke. "So how long have you and Stefan been together?" She knew the answer, but inquiry spurs conversations. Inquiry about others spurs conversations that require little work on your own part.

"Well we've known each other for what seems like forever," she started, and soon enough she had sent Rebekah into a long rehash of how the two came to be together. They'd always known each other because their family had always been friendly and then got a bit closer when the two reconnected at University. Only a matter of time until he popped the question and she was shopping for wedding dresses. "Speaking of wedding dresses," she said after a pause followed her story, "when will you be looking for one of your own, Davina?"

"Well we haven't really set a date yet," the brunette reminded.

"Kol said it would be soon though. Right?" Caroline confirmed. Davina hesitantly nodded. "Those types of dresses take time, you should start looking. Besides, they're fun to try on."

"I wouldn't know where to start." Davina had figured she'd end up going to a David's Bridal-esque place. Considering the level of class the Rebekah's nail salon of choice possessed, she went out on a limb and guessed that she would have to do a little better.

"There are plenty of wedding boutiques in London, we could just look around for fun," Rebekah suggested, inspecting her freshly red nails.

"I'm leaving tomorrow," Davina found herself saying, almost disappointed. She was enjoying time with the girls, even if she barely knew them. Her best friend in high school, Monique, turned out to be unreliable (and slightly bitchy) after a series of events where she needed her the most. She had a friend named Camille back in New York but they barely got time to see each other. Cami was a psychology student who worked as a bartender in her free time to pay for bills, leaving little down time.

She realized she was sufficiently deprived of female companionship.

"That's why we'd go today. I'm sure any of the places would be clamoring to be one who helped out a soon to be Mikaelson."

Rebekah using the word we caught Davina off guard. She had expected their family to be completely unwelcoming and cold to her. Maybe it was all a lie, and it would end in just over a year when a quiet divorce would take place, but she get used to being in a family unit for that short time. "If we hurry out of here we have two and a half hours to kill until our hair appointments," she announced after consulting her watch.

"Remind me why we aren't spending today with your mother?" Davina asked, her train of thought flashing red warning lights all over her mind.

"She'd rather have her family together all together at once, than having them visiting her sporadically throughout the day. So she takes her time prepping the house and herself, and leaves the celebrating until the party," Caroline quickly explained. Davina wondered if Rebekah would've rationalized it another way. Esther Mikaelson seemed to pick and choose the aspects of being maternal that fit her. There was nothing wrong with that, any woman needs to change the description around to fit herself in the modern day, but Esther had an almost unnatural approach. And that was one thing that didn't waver with a maternal personality. It needed to be natural to be true nature.

"Which leaves us time to watch you try on gowns in varying shades of white," Rebekah said, with a smile. She gave Davina a long studying look and then voiced her conclusion. "And ivory or an old lace white would look really great with your coloring." The girl who had read up intently on all members of the family had forgotten that Rebekah was a designer. And apparently while she didn't dabble in wedding dresses she had expertise.

It was unclear if the reason the Mikaelson name had so much weight was because of Rebekah's ties to the fashion community. It could've easily been the general association to the family, but it was worth questioning.

With an order to the nail salon to speed up, a quick phone call, and a cab the three women were at a high end wedding boutique.

"Don't even bother with that designer," Rebekah said when Davina made a reach for an empire dress. When Rebekah had move onto the next rack, Caroline reached down to grab the gown. This process was repeated several times throughout the few hours.

"I'm just happy you're not grabbing any ballgowns," Caroline remarked before rounding a corner filled with huge gowns. "You would just get swallowed whole." She said with a smile, though she did watch Davina's reaction. Her advice was hidden in helpful commentary, and though Davina appreciated the direct approach it helped to keep her annoyingly delicate feelings from being hurt.

Caroline had the honey approach. Rebekah preferred vinegar.

It seemed both were able to catch Davina. She listened to everything they said.

"We will just wait here," Rebekah announced, shooing Davina into a dressing room with the attendant helping them.

It had been years since Davina had worn a wedding dress. Then it had just been the usual playing dress up (but being too old yet not young enough to call it that) in antique stores, New Orleans had plenty of old lace pieces hidden in the racks. She had been twelve and a if a ball gown swallowed her up in her mid twenties, you can be sure that it absolutely consumed her back in her tweens.

So she was opting for a trumpet as the first time back in the saddle. Her days of princess daydreams were long over.

The attendant was nice, but she had a strong pull. The lace up in the back of the dress was practically choking her. When she looked up and caught herself in the mirror she let the pain in her ribs fade.

Bridal gowns are supposed to invoke strong emotions. At least according to TLC they were. Davina wasn't expecting of these when she looked up see herself in a gown that cost more than what she could use on five year's worth of rent. Perhaps she was expecting a bit of protectiveness against sharp objects that could cause tears or stain inducing red white, but nothing more.

She certainly wasn't expecting negative emotions.

It wasn't that she looked bad. She looked pretty damn great. When she caught herself looking at the shape she noticed it showed off some assets that didn't always present themselves. And it didn't swallow her up, he definitely was wearing the dress rather than the other way around.

The problem Davina was faced was that she realized that she was still playing dress up.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, everyone cries at some point." Davina's quick movements to dab at her tear ducts didn't too much help. Watery eyes were better than red eyes though. "Open your eyes wide for a few seconds, it usually can help," the attendant added, giving her a bright smile.

Davina did it, it helped a bit in terms of appearance, but it didn't make her feel any better on the inside.

"Almost ready?" Rebekah called out. A large smile suddenly made it's way on her lips, and she nodded, more to herself than anything else.

Fake it until you make it was taking it to a new level.

* * *

"You are signing a prenup, right?" Kol's eldest brother, Finn, asked. Nothing wrong with a prenup, anyonewith a little bit of money and lawyers did it. The thing that Kol didn't appreciate was the tone. It wasn't asked in a very friendly way, to say the least.

Kol couldn't argue, so he just nodded to quiet him. Elijah was actually the one to voice anything about his tone.

"You haven't even met the woman yet, Finn," he protested. "Try to give her the benefit of doubt." Kol tried to lessen the surprise evident on his face when he gave a thankful nod.

After a moment of thought he realized there shouldn't have been any big shock value. Elijah had been nothing but pleasant to Davina. Pleasant, really that was the perfect word to describe the eldest behind Finn. Pleasant wasn't the right word, because Elijah was pleasant to his enemies until a certain extent. He simply liked Davina. He thought Kol had done a good job.

Though with more thought it also became clear to Kol that his brother would be rather hypocritical if hadn't been so kind. Each of his past girlfriends (two who had made it to fiancé) had their own quirk that made them unlikable to the rest of the family. They tended to be unlikable because they were written off as fame seekers, social climbers, or gold diggers.

Maybe some of those three qualities applied to some of the girls, but that didn't mean they love Elijah. Inherent nature isn't going to change.

Finn, who had heard all about how Kol and Davina had presumably met, and simply gave Elijah an unconvincing shrug. "Where is she anyway?"

"With Rebekah and Caroline," Klaus informed his brothers, looking up from his phone. Kol had come back from his meeting (accompanied by Elijah, who had insisted on helping) to find Finn and Klaus sitting rather uncomfortably in the living room. Or rather, Klaus was busy doing something on his phone while Finn waited for his brother to say something.

Obviously his waiting never paid off because it wasn't until just that moment that Klaus spoke.

"Where's Sage?" He asked, putting his phone down.

"She won't be able to make it until later, the sitter couldn't come until later." Finn was the only one of the Mikaelson children to produce grandchildren. Luckily the kids seemed to have inherited more from their mother than their father. No one wants stuffy children.

The others took it that Sage would be arriving when the party was in full swing. Esther had yet to be return home, and Mikael had only popped in for a moment before leaving again, but there was only a handful of hours until the party would start.

Which signaled perfect timing when the two of the three missing women appeared. They still had enough time for makeup and changing. With some time to spare.

"Caroline's back at your flat getting ready," Rebekah told Klaus, which got him to stand up.

"That's my cue to leave. And where is Stefan? I came here to look for him and all I found was Finn."

"Upstairs." Rebekah let out a laugh as he practically pivoted on his heel, changing his course from the door to the staircase. Graceful was not a word often attributed to Klaus, but that didn't mean it never could be.

He went up the stairs, and the attention shifted to Davina and Rebekah. No wedding dress orders were placed, but their hair had been done up. The brunette's hair was curled in rollers that she was instructed to take out after she got dresses. Rebekah's was smoothed into a high ponytail.

"Have a good day?" Kol asked as the two neared the area where they were down one brother. He hoped the more endearing tone he used make it clear he was directing the question at Davina. The warm tone came natural enough, he didn't want to tack on a silly pet name. Davina didn't seem like the 'honey' type.

"Yep," she smiled down at him. Him sitting and her standing gave her that rare opportunity. She saw Finn watching her out of the corner of her eye, but she didn't say anything.

"Don't do anything to mess this up, Kol," Rebekah stage whispered, shooting Davina a timely wink. Giving Kol a reason to think of better excuses for their divorce down the line, Rebekah moved onto Finn. "I take it you've heard about your future sister in law, Finn?"

A wave escaped Davina's hand, and she paused halfway through realizing that wasn't the most formal thing to do.

Kol thought it was endearing.

"It's great to finally meet you," he started, his earlier tone returning "it's almost been a full three hours since I heard about you." The bitterness obviously came from a place directed towards his family, but the sudden change in pace put her off balance.

"Well I've certainly heard a lot about you, so it's lovely to meet you." Davina was not only a better actress than Finn, she was a nicer person. So her smile managed to look genuine when he didn't even bother with one.

Her smile was in fact something that Kol started to think about. The toothy grin was one she had given him countless times. He always liked her smile, even if he didn't take much notice of the girl wearing it before the whirlwind of events happened. The smile he knew was being directly given to Finn. It worried him that his actions in the past could've granted him the same grin that Finn got.

After a minute or so of highly forgettable small talk, Davina looked up to the clock hanging at the side of the room. She hoped she was able to make it look like a light had gone off in her head. "Do you mind if we talk more later, Finn? I should really go upstairs and get ready." Rebekah had already slipped away, and footsteps signaled Klaus was leaving as well.

She didn't wait for him to give her a dismissive look, but he gave one to her anyway. To that she had no response.

"I'm going up as well," Kol announced, falling into step behind Davina as she made her way upstairs.

Finn became Elijah's problem until their parents returned and the latter went to change.

"So how did today go in terms of sticking to the book?" Kol asked, immediately plopping down on the bed. He didn't have much to do in terms of getting ready. Putting on a suit and the simple act of combing hair were the only things necessary.

Davina list wasn't much longer, but the tasks were more time consuming. So she got right to work. "Pretty great, I think both of them like me." Her hope was that her words came across as accomplishments for their deception, not just like something she was happy about. "Oh, I did learn that Rebekah wants nieces though," she added with a lighthearted laugh. "-Is there by chance a robe in here?" She asked before he could answer.

"The maids should've put one in there," he answered. After a short pause he went on to commenting on her earlier statement. "Nieces plural?" he confirmed. A nod come from underneath the fluff of the robe that was piled up high in her hands.

"I drank champagne at the nail salon-" Davina disappeared from Kol's line of vision "-so either Rebekah thinks I will be a horrible mother or she's past thinking I'm pregnant." When she reemerged to grab her red dress from the closet, she was wearing a robe. Apparently there was little confidence to be had in the robe. She was clutching tightly on the spot where the fabric crossed over her front.

Kol did the gentlemanly thing and looked away. Well, he did after five seconds let his mind remind him that he should.

When she put the dress on she remembered just why she loved it so much. Red was a statement color, but it didn't look overwhelming on her. She was having some trouble with the zipper though.

"Hey, Davina, I'm going to go ahead and put on my tux," Kol warned, "So don't come out just yet."

She busied herself with putting her hair down. Formal makeup wasn't a strong suit of hers, but she did her best. Best took some time though. Her hand had to support her dress throughout the process, due to its difficult zipper.

Enough time had passed that she was sure it was safe for her to come out. Still she gave a little warning before she stepped into the room. "I need your help with the zipper," she announced, looking up to find Kol all put together. He cleaned up nice, Davina could admit that, but she had seen him like that before. There were plenty of opportunities for him to look his best.

Davina had less. Not to say she didn't always look great, but to say the least she lived her life in office friendly clothes. This was why Kol had to make an effort not to look like a teenage boy in a romantic comedy. He maintained his steely exterior, but she did have to repeat her request.

"Zipper?"

"This dress is worth however much money of mine you used by the way," he said. It was a compliment wrapped in a reminder of the situation. It wasn't intentionally either, but it was nevertheless. He was busy doing the simple task of fastening the back her dress so he couldn't see her expression. She found herself stuck on the compliment.

"Is that an invitation to spend more of it?" She joked, spinning around when he was done. The anticipation was that he would've moved back, but he didn't. Too close for comfort could've been used to describe the moment, but it wasn't all that uncomfortable.

The party had started about thirty minutes before, and the noise was starting to signal that it was time for them make their appearance. Kol broke the silence when it was clear neither of them were going to say anything. "Ready to put on a show, Davina Claire?"

* * *

If Esther was the main attraction, Davina was the notable person in the crowd that people clamored to get a picture with. And that was the way it should've been for Esther, but Davina could've done without any attention on her part.

The party itself was incredible. Grand and refined. Though she had seen the near final product only hours earlier, people and music changed an atmosphere. Davina took a mental note about the people. People are what make a party great (though the gourmet food helped too).

"Have you met Mikael yet?" Caroline asked her, making her way next to her while Kol and her were bombarded with questions. People wanted to know about their relationship, her life, and details about the wedding. Whenever a person would leave Davina would ask Kol if he knew them. He should shrug, saying maybe, but if so they never left an impression.

Caroline looked lovely. Wearing a long purple dress with her hair up in a twist she looked radiant. Frown lines were etched onto her face as she asked the question. And despite this, she still looked wonderful.

The Mikaelson family was like a rare collection of gorgeous people. Even the in laws were chosen well. Davina had caught a glimpse of Sage earlier and her theory was supported it.

Davina shook her head. "I saw he was with Esther about twenty minutes ago, though." That was enough to scare her. The guy just sent off bad vibes. Vibes that were so palpable that you could see them from across the room.

"You want to get it over with?" Kol asked, taking a long sip of his drink after the offer was made. One hand was wrapped around Davina's waist, but once he lowered the glass holding hand he was able to motion to his father. Mikael had entered the main area of the party again. He was looking around, so it appeared there wasn't a question of when they'd be meeting him.

Caroline slipped away so fast that Davina didn't know until she was gone. The Mikaelson patriarch had spotted the couple and was making his way through the crowd. It didn't take much weaving on his part, everyone parted to make way for him.

His first words to them weren't promising. "You must be the secretary," he said as he walked up to them. Flicking his eyes down to the prominent ring he made an almost amused noise, he added "and apparently the fiancé as well."

"My name's Davina Claire." She had a spine, she just couldn't use it. Instinctively her hand almost went to shake his, but better judgement got her to keep it down. Kol tightened his grip on her waist.

"Mikael Mikaelson," he introduced, no emotion evident voice. If you closed your eyes it was as if he was introducing himself to a random stranger on the street."I'm sure you already knew that though."

"I see mother's already told you about Davina," Kol observed. Props to him that managed to sound civil. If Davina was his real fiancé, and Mikael was treating her that way, she'd be beyond offended. She was offended in her current situation too, but she knew she could escape it in a year. The real deal would be stuck.

"All good things," Mikael confirmed, expression conflicting with his words. He would have had to speak with her to have known the secretary bit. That is unless he did some background checking on his own. In a way that seemed to Kol like such a Mikael thing to do, but it was hard to believe he cared enough to put in the time.

"It's really great to finally meet you!" Davina exclaimed, mimicking something Finn had said earlier, only in a nicer way. She couldn't bring herself to say she's heard all about him. Because she had, just not all good things.

"I'm sure." Neither Kol nor Davina were quite sure what he meant. It just sounded condescending. Which was probably his only intent. It was clear that Mikael held the reins in the conversation, so the faux couple waited for him to continue the conversation. "I would stay and get to know your bride to be, but I have more pressing matters at hand." A tight lipped smile found its way to his mouth, and he gave Davina a long look before moved closer to Kol. "Oh, and don't let her out of her sight. There are lots of wealthy men around here," he advised, "her running off in public would just be an embarrassment."

He didn't even bother to whisper it. It might've been fear of familial shame, but he could've had the decency not to shout it. The only people who heard it had been Kol and Davina. But he made sure that Davina heard him. With that clear comment he left the two. Davina found her mouth had parted slightly from the sheer disrespect.

"I am so sorry," Kol muttered under his breath. She took an unsteady breath before responding.

"That was really weird."

"Really, I'm sorry about him. He's just-"

Cutting him off, she clarified, "I meant you were acting really odd." He looked her way, the confusion clear in his eyes. "Well, you know, one could describe you as wild. Even as a businessman you have that… energy to you," she started, "just being in his presence tamed you,"

"Am I zoo animal now?" He sounded almost defensive, but knew it was true. Being employed by the Mikaelson corporation gave his father a newfound power over him. As a teenager, or in his early twenties he couldn't have cared less what Mikael thought. If he wanted attention, he wanted it from his siblings or his mother. He was afraid of Mikael, but when he was just a few younger he felt invincible.

"It was just weird," she repeated with a shrug. "Your dad was definitely weird too, but I guess I expected it."

"You shouldn't have to expect that," Kol told her. The whole thing was a sham, but he felt horrible for Davina. Truthfully he was always a bit of a snob himself, but in a selfish way he wanted everyone to try not to be assholes to her. No one who could potentially be, or had been, in her boat inspired such protective thoughts.

"Kol Mikaelson settling down," a voice said, abruptly severing the hushed conversation they were having, "I never thought I'd see the day."

"Damon," was Kol's simple acknowledgement of the man. From the way he said it was as if the name itself could've give him a disease. "Davina, meet Damon Salvatore. Damon, meet Davina Claire."

Salvatore. Stefan Salvatore. The connection quickly made it's way through her head.

"And where would Elena be tonight?" Kol inquired, hoping a quick conversation would get him to go away. There were few people that Kol actively despised, well more than a few actually, but Damon was high on the list. Everything about him just rubbed Kol the wrong way.

"No comment." Elena was Damon's sometimes girlfriend. Kol wasn't a fan of her either. Because of Stefan, Damon always crawled his way into family events. Elena was a blessing and a curse. Sometimes he would be so preoccupied with her that he would keep to himself. Othertimes it meant Kol was just treated to double the annoyance. "Very new for you, isn't it? This whole no PDA thing," he teased. Davina went ahead and assumed this comment was directed towards Kol. Rebekah had earlier mentioned something about Kol having a penchant for causing trouble with dates.

Davina let out an uneasy laugh. The Mikaelsons hadn't seen them do anything more than holding hands. Maybe they had seen the cheek kiss, but they had been very chaste. It hadn't crossed either of their minds that it could've been overly out of character until Damon pointed it out.

Damon kept talking, and finally Kol shooed him away. "I think Stefan was looking for her." This was untrue, but it got him to go away. Kol would have to apologize to his brother in law later. "Sorry about him as well," he apologized. Davina shrugged, he had been harmless enough.

"What exactly did you do these parties?" She asked, curiosity getting the best of her. From what Rebekah had said earlier she got the impression it was more than just your average public displays of affection.

"Well, more than hand holding. I kinda liked the attention," he admitted. From what Davina knew that wasn't too he saw more people making their way over to them, he started to steer Davina away from the center of the party. Business partners thought kissing up to Kol would help them deal with Mikael. It was far from the reality.

"Well I think today has been pretty successful," she said, "besides the Mikael encounter. And Finn. " The topic of how they met was avoided for the most, fortunately.

"Quite a show." He winked, and raised his champagne glass. She mirrored him, clinking her glass with his.

* * *

**a/n - Hope you guys liked it! This chapter took me forever for some reason, but it's finally up :) Be sure to leave reviews if you liked it, I always love seeing you guys give me feedback. Check out my one shot collection because I think I'll be posting a few new things there this weekend. **

**xo,**

**Luce**


	7. Chapter 7

The night of smiles and small talk had generated mass sleepiness.

Davina peeked over to the opposite side of the bed, where Kol was in a deep sleep. When she had seen him camping out on the carpet she felt guilty. There were plenty of reasons to keep the bed as her own... but it did cross her mind that it was big enough. Big enough that it slept two people platonically just fine.

So, much to Kol's surprise, he slept on a mattress the night before. His back was thankful.

When Davina slipped out of the room to grab something to eat she discovered Kol wasn't the only one asleep. She expected having to deal with soon to be family members, but instead found herself alone in the kitchen. Not a soul in sight.

After checking the clock to make sure she hadn't woken at some ungodly hour she brewed some coffee. They had quite the variety, each blend she sorted through more gourmet than the previous. After discovering that Starbucks blends were not at home in their collection she settled for something Slavic sounding. It sounded expensive, which had to taste decent.

It wasn't until she found a ringing coming from her pockets that she regretted bringing her phone down with her. Nothing good had come from it in the past few day. Only near missed work deadlines, curious acquaintances looking a wedding invite, and unwelcome calls from her past. Oh and Josh, but that was just another issue.

Perhaps the rush of caffeine was prompting rash decisions, but after she took her first few sips of her drink she found herself calling the unwelcome number back.

The call went to voicemail, Davina expected that. No one, not even Bastianna Natale, was awake and ready for a possible fight over the phone so early. It was simple math to figure out the time difference, but Davina didn't want to waste the extra seconds. She was however willing to waste her breathe.

After a moment to collect her thoughts she let everything out. Everything was compacted into several short sentences. But nevertheless it needed to get out. "-Please, don't contact me again," she demanded. wrapping up her short speech. Staring at the barely drunken cup of coffee she finished, "you know if I wanted to I could press charges."

She couldn't bring herself to actually hang up. The phone wavered near her cheek, and her shaky breathing was being recorded for Bastianna to hear. It wasn't until she heard footsteps that the message was finished with the tap of a button.

"Morning," Davina called out, hoping whoever was about to walk into the kitchen hadn't heard her phone call. She let out a small cough to smooth out her voice. It was still off kilter from her call.

"Morning," a voice chirped back, matching the chirpiness that she had produced. Where she had sincerity, they had sarcasm and tacked a laugh onto the end. From that Davina was able to assume her phone call hadn't been heard. Probably a good thing, considering talk of legal action was never the best way to start off the day.

"Very funny, Kol," she muttered into her coffee cup when her faux fiancé entered the room.

"I do try." He looked around the room to confirm for himself that the two of them were in fact the only ones there. "Thanks for half of the bed last night by the way," he stage whispered, this time in complete sincerity. He inched closer to her as if he didn't trust the visual of a lack of family.

"I'm just happy you aren't the type who stretches out and takes up the entire bed," she told him, turning around to search for the sugar. "I don't know if I could marry someone who takes up all the roo." She paused at a cabinet in question, "Sugar?"

Kol stepped around her to point to one of many white jars, and then made himself a cup of coffee as well. "You like the left side, I like the right side. We both despise people who stretch out...-" he gave Davina a meaningful look "-if our sleeping preferences are any sign then we're obviously meant to be."

She leaned against the side of the island and gave a very serious look. "We've yet to ask the most important question though. Big spoon or little spoon?" The question lingered in the air just long enough that it should've been awkward.

There Davina was, an assistant elevated to actress, talking to her boss turned fiancé about sleeping habits. A few days of interesting circumstances can make a change in any dynamic.

"I doubt all five feet of you can properly function as the big spoon."

"Five feet and three inches," Davina corrected, letting her words linger. Kol was sipping on his coffee, looking at her without clues to what his mind was thinking. A few seconds passed and she looked down to her cup. "The three inches is very important-" she peeked up to find him quickly look away, as if he realized his passive glance had turned into something more intense and definite "-helps me get on roller coasters."

Davina's laugh was light, airy, and floated through the room. Kol's tried to look anywhere else in the room but found it was hard to ignore what was right in front of me. His eyes, brain, and heart were all on very different pages.

Kol was leaning forward, towards her, when he opened his mouth to say something. The words never came out, because the focus on the room shifted.

"Am I interrupting?" Elijah was in the doorway to the kitchen, trying not to feel as if the question was obvious.

Yes. "No," Davina chirped, ripping her eyes from Kol's, towards his brother. Shoving the possibilities of what he was about to say into the back of her mind was easier said than done though.

"Rebekah was wondering when the two of you were leaving, and I couldn't remember myself," he mentioned, invoking the question.

"We have a flight tomorrow," Kol answered, but he sounded unsure. The uncertainty in his voice shook Davina from her thoughts.

"And we're leaving tomorrow," she added. Suspicion was the key tone in her voice.

Kol hesitated before adding, "maybe."

"Maybe?" Davina and Elijah repeated, her repetition more aggressive his.

"I might have some more business to deal with here," Kol admitted, and he gave Davina a look to let her know that he would explain.

"Aren't you meeting with with companies today?" Elijah made his way into the kitchen, but bypassed the coffee for tea, which was apparently further down the counter.

"Well you know what they say, when in London," Kol offered up, but his joke was lost through his tired voice. But it wasn't lose of sleep as much as it was nerves and anxiety. At thirty he should've had fewer things to worry about than being deported, and running a company, and fooling his family. "I should go get ready," he announced, lifting his coffee in goodbye as he disappeared into the hallway.

Davina's eyes followed him until she was staring at a wall, and the only reasonable thing to do was look back to Elijah.

"What are you doing today?" He was almost academic in the way he asked.

An excuse was ready to make its way into the world, but a shrug found its way to Davina's shoulders first. A new reply made it to her lips a few moments later.

"If that's the case I can show you around London if you like, if I'm not mistaken this is your first time here." The squeal of the tea pot gave her a moment to debate the offer, but it wasn't long until he was looking at her expectant for an answer.

"I've always wanted to see Buckingham Palace."

* * *

It was like Davina was being babysat by Elijah. He was accompanying her to all the landmarks she had rattled off in the car, and making small talk along the way. Like some sort of Mikaelson brotherly obligation to keep a sibling's fiancé away from Mikael in the light of day.

"Interesting approach," was his only comment on when Davina tried to get the guards at the palace to break their stony expressions. The plan was to take photos and soak in the sights (quite literally, it was starting to rain) but she couldn't help it. Movies condition people to do immature and unnecessary things.

"I almost got a smile," Davina told him, following Elijah as he lead them into a pub. It was barely one in the afternoon, but the place was reasonably crowded.

"I believe this is the tourist trap you requested." Elijah motioned towards two stools and she took her seat. She had googled authentic pubs in London and this was the first one that popped up.

"It is, thank you." While Davina want a drinker, especially when it came to beer, but she decided to use the day to be a traveler. A touristy traveler who drank during the day because she wanted to experience new things in new places.

When their orders were placed Davina found herself wanting to ask Elijah a more personal question. Curiosity killed the cat, and it was more than distracting her. So she waited until she took the first sip of her beer, the taste of which she decided to decide on later, to ask

"Why did the girls you date get so much crap from your family?" It sounded more direct than she planned, but Elijah didn't look phased. It was like this was just another road mark in his babysitting job. Entertain, converse, and answer a question no one else will. Very simple when boiled down.

"I've only had three major girlfriends, but each of them had their own...-," it was clear he was struggling for the word, "-they each had their own pitfalls."

"Was Katherine one of them?" Davina asked, remembering the name from something Kol had said. She had taken a while two sips of alcohol, and even for her that wasn't enough to get her tipsy, but she need to focus on something other than herself. It didn't hurt that the topic was something she could learn something from.

"I dated a woman named Tatia right after university," he started, ignoring Davina's question. "Turns out, so was also with Niklaus. In short, we both broke up with her, but I ended up dating her in secret for some time. When my parents found out they were angry that I was so blind as date someone so manipulative." He took a long drink of whatever he has ordered, and judging from the glass and the size it was more potent than beer. "Then came Katherine. She had an important family, my parents liked the idea of us being friendly. We were, friendly, for a while until we became romantically involved. We got engaged, and then it came out that her parents were bankrupt and Katherine was suddenly a gold digger."

It was as if Elijah had hit a block in his story, and Davina decided to prompt him to finish. "The third girl?" She was trying to take as many mental notes as possible, even if he was being to the point with his storytelling.

"My most recent girlfriend's name was Hayley. She was, according to my parents, a social climber."

Not too many notes, but three phrases popped up in Davina's head. "Is that why you're being nice to me? Because according to your parents, of Mikael and Finn at least, I'm all their pitfalls wrapped up in one."

"Who says I think that too and am just trying to get you to fess up." Davina blinked at the final two words that Elijah said. They felt like bullets narrowly missing her heart.

"Well thanks anyway, for being nice," She breathed, voice catching. "Your girlfriends sound like they were nice, just misunderstood." Her fingers circles the edge of her cup.

Elijah shook his head. "Tatia was manipulative and Katherine was a bitch when she wanted to be. I just liked them despite that."

"What about Hayley?"

"She was sarcastic-"

"Not exactly a crime." Davina smiled, hoping maybe her nosiness wasn't harmful. "In my books at least, I'm not sure exactly how your father thinks." Esther was almost tacked on, but she had been too kind to Davina for her to throw her under the bus.

"I mean this is the least offensive way, but I'm surprised my brother's marrying you," Elijah told her, and Davina laughed, letting him know that was completely okay. It was still a surprise to her.

Another sip of her beer was taken. Before she knew it she was nearing the bottom of her glass, and the bartender was asking her for another. A direct response to Elijah's comment seemed like a bad idea considering the situation. "You know, you should see what Hayley's doing nowadays. Sarcasm isn't the worst vice, and from what you told me I sense you don't think she's a social climber."

There was a moment where Elijah looked like he was thinking about it, but that moment didn't last too long. Then he coped Davina, focusing on his drink.

"This day drinking thing is new to me by the way," Davina promised after glancing at the clock. To Elijah she shouldn't have a very solid reason for wanting to, but she hoped the stress of the meeting the family was enough to mask for a reason. In part, that was the reason, but it was more than the ordinary worrying if she was liked.

"You're about to be a Mikaelson. Might as well start."

* * *

When Kol got back to the house he was surprised to find the only person there was Rebekah. "Is Davina back yet?" he asked, and Rebekah looked up from her phone.

"Where did she go?" Rebekah's question was dismissive though. She dropped her phone on the cushion next to her, and gave Kol a long look. "The real question is where is our mother. She called me over here, and when I get here she's out somewhere."

Kol gave a shrug that was just as dismissive, "I've been in meetings all day."

"Well where did your fiancé go?" Rebekah sounded more interested. "You should've told me she was going to be left alone, I could've come over."

"Elijah offered first." This made the blonde raise a brow.

"Well I doubt he took her shopping," Rebekah commented. The tinge of distance in her voice made Kol feel better about

Before Kol could elaborate on the subject, the two people came bursting through the door. Or rather Davina came bursting through the door and Elijah followed looking heavily concerned.

"It's not day drinking if I'm still on eastern time," Davina protested, her words only slightly slurred. "It's like-," she paused to think through the time change, "-six in the morning there." After a moment to realize that wasn't much better, she looked away from Elijah, realizing who was else was at the house.

"Shopping would've been better," Rebekah muttered, just loud enough for Kol to hear it so he could send her a glare. The glare was weak from his confusion though. Just a few days before Davina was against a little wine.

"Is she okay?" Kol flicked his eyes to Elijah in question.

"She only had at most three drinks," he promised. Davina did not look like herself though, and that much was pretty clear. "A pub was on her London checklist," he swiftly added.

"I can speak for myself." A deep sigh escaped from her throat, and she walked over to where Kol sat, plopping down next to him on the loveseat. "I had a few drinks," she admitted, trying not to show the effort it took to enunciate.

"Davina is not good with alcohol." Kol himself wasn't sure who he was saying it too, but her response made Rebekah smile.

"Again, I am here." Kol turned his head away from Elijah, who was hovering on the outskirts of the room, and instead to Davina. Normally after a few moments of direct eye contact she would look away and try to hide a faint blush, but with alcohol the reaction was different.

"_Imincrediblyfine_," she slurred.

"I'm going to make sure Da-" he stopped himself, "-I'm going to make sure you get to bed." If Mikaelson or Esther, or even Finn or that matter, came back to the house he could just say she got a headache and needed to lay down.

Rebekah was already up and out of her seat when she offered to make her coffee. "I'll bring it up to your room in a few minutes."

It took more than a few minutes to get Davina up the stairs. It turns out a drunk Davina was a stubborn one. Not that surprising given her sober self. Rebekah was already done brewing the coffee when Davina and Kol got just outside of their room, so she caught up to them before they even entered.

"This isn't normal for her right?" Rebekah whispered once Davina had already stumbled into the room. "Cause alcohol is fine but she's like five foot, so… it doesn't suit her."

"Drinks are rare, and I've never seen her like this." That was true at least. In the week Davina had not gotten really drunk, nor had she at any office functions in the past four years. Kol could easily come up the the conclusion that excess drinking was not to be expected though. "I think she's just stressed," he let concern sneak into his voice even before he thought he should as about of the act.

Rebekah went silent at the look on her brother's face. "It seems to me you need as much assurance as her, and you both should know the majority of this family likes her. And father and Finn don't like anyone..." she reminded him, following it up with a wide smile. "Just make sure she doesn't get alcohol poisoning before the wedding."

Kol couldn't muster up a smile, but he hoped he at least managed to look grateful. "Thanks for the coffee."

"Get back to your drunk fiancé," Rebekah ordered, letting out a light laugh as she moved back down the hallway.

"I will," he called out. Behind him Davina was nursing her cup of coffee, staring at it like it held the meaning of life.

"I know we're engaged and all," she started, tone firm, when Kol shut the door, moving towards the bed, "but it's gonna take more than a really nice ring to get me into bed." Her eyes flitted down to where she was sitting and looked conflicted. "Well, you know what I mean," she muttered, taking a long sip.

"Just drink your coffee and lay down, you'll feel better." Kol didn't know to handle the situation now that they didn't have an audience.

"I feel amazing."

"You're not going to be saying that when all those drinks leave your system," he warned, but she was not in any state to respond to that.

For a while neither of them spoke. Kol let Davina finish off her coffee, Davina leaned into Kol's side. A few minutes after the coffee was gone from the cup she looked over to him. "You're nicer than you let on," she whispered, and she sounded so lucid that he almost believed she thought that.

Kol opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. It looked like Davina was going to speak for him, but instead she surprised him for the second time that day. In a matter of seconds she was closing the gap between them. He was too surprised to return the kiss, but it didn't phase her. It was as light as air and when she pulled away, eyes wide and mouth parted as if she was shocked at herself too, he had to tell himself that it had actually happened.

"I'm gonna sleep," she announced, tearing her eyes from his. Not what you would like to hear after a girl kisses you, but he reminded himself that she wasn't in her right mind. It was doubtful she would even remember it when she woke up.

* * *

a/n - I can't believe it's taken me so long to update, but school got in the way and then when that was gone travel did. Combine that with a bit of a lack for inspiration and that's your excuse for why I didn't update sooner. Again, I'm really really sorry, but hopefully you liked the chapter. The chapter is completely Kolvina! I'm really excited to write it so I know it won't take me three months. Let me know if you liked the chapter, and all that faving and following jazz.

xo,

Luce


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